


The Dimension Vortex

by KibaSin



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Angst, Being Lost, Dimension Travel, Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-06
Updated: 2014-01-05
Packaged: 2018-01-07 16:48:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 51,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1122203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KibaSin/pseuds/KibaSin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Naraku’s evil plot is actually working. However, unlike what he expected, Kagome, Sango, Miroku, and, accidentally, Sesshoumaru are thrown into different dimensions. Together, using a key looking blade, they must find their original home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Naraku's Evil Plot

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of characters/designing of worlds, I decide to use from different anime/video games/movies/books I decide to place my different dimensions within. The only thing I hold value to is the plot, and any original characters.

* * *

 

He twisted the tainted fragment of Shikon in front of his eyes, eyeing the three incarnations before him. Once his plan was under way, he would finally be rid of that annoying miko, hanyou, taijiya, and monk. After that, he'd finally be able to use the whole Shikon no Tama – after getting the fragment from the border between the worlds – and become the strongest youkai the world had ever seen. Of course, some might stand in his way, even after his annoying, yet amusing, enemies were out of his way. Out of all of them, though, the only ones he'd be slightly troubled by would be the Youkai Four, but those arrogant bastards would never admit that they needed each other to defeat him, and continue to attack him one at a time.

He'd swat them down like flies.

Besides, the only real threat to him, now that he had immense power, was the taiyoukai, Sesshoumaru. However, he'd almost succeeded in absorbing the taiyoukai's great power once before, he could do it once again. Once he had Sesshoumaru's power mixed with his own, and possibly his form as well, he could begin taking over the world. Who knew, he might even absorb one of Inuyasha's little friends for the fun of it, as well.

No, that would ruin his plan. He'd stumbled upon it one day, but now he knew it was the greatest thing he'd ever come across. He'd always wished he could see the destruction of the hanyou he hated, and the reincarnation of the miko his once human body lusted for. However, though, he could not see their blood upon the ground, while they lie dying, and twitching under his feet, he would be happy to know that they were far into the next world.

Still, he'd lost his newest incarnation with the device. He'd watched as the pale, stealthy, and agile incarnation he'd called Akira was suddenly gone in a flash of light. At first he'd been stunned by this, since Akira was one of his better incarnations; his beauty matched Sesshoumaru's, and he'd nearly used his seductive ways at one point to lure in Kagome, the ningen, living, miko. Afterward, however, he'd decided to use something else to test his find, and thrown a young, captured, ningen girl toward the two pillars, which oddly enough, if you looked close enough, seemed to be shaped like a keyhole toward the top.

All he needed to do was have them come rushing through the space, and they'd be gone. The light would stretch for about twelve feet, and everything within that area would be sucked into nothingness, from what he concluded. After all, Akira would have returned to him if he could, so it was only obvious he was dead, either that, or floating in some type of empty space. He did not care which it was, as long as it got those pesky shard hunters out of his hair.

"Kagura," he hissed, his voice menacing. He watched as the wind witch stood over the spot she once occupied, before turning to his other incarnation. "Hakudoushi!"

The boy stood, his weapon hanging loosely in his hand, before he said, "Hai, Naraku?"

"You will journey with Kagura, Hakudoushi," Naraku replied. "You will help her lure those idiots to me, near the device. Once I am in place, you will fly over the device with Kagura, luring them in. Once they are close enough, and one has touched the device, they will be gone from our hair, and we may finally take over Japan in peace…"

Hakudoushi bowed his albino head, before turning toward his older  _sibling,_ who, he knew, merely wished to be free of Naraku's hold. However, he could remember only brief flashes of when he was but an infant looking incarnation, created within Mount Hakurei, who would try to find the border between the living and dead. However, he knew what his purpose was, and knew not to defy Naraku, because though he, too, hated to admit it, the bastard held his heart between his fingertips. Though he was merely a child looking incarnation, he was the strongest of Naraku's incarnations, and could easily kill a demon before it could blink. Why then, was he being sent on this meaningless task?

The man was like his father, in a way. There was no denying that, so there was no denying the fact that he could not escape him. As long as Naraku lived, he, Kagura, and Kanna, would never be free, but merely imprisoned for the rest of their lives. He knew that, and though he did, he really didn't care. As long as he got another go at that Inuyasha fellow…

The man who swung around a mighty sword known as Tetsusigia; the man who traveled with a miko, a taijiya, and a houshi; the man who was really not a man at all, but a hanyou, cursed to walk among creature's that merely wished for his death. The same man who'd nearly taken off his arm last time they fought. He  **would**  repay the bloody inu-hanyou for that blow. He had not expected the inu-hanyou to increase in power so quickly, nor had he expected him to be able to keep up with his speed like many full-blooded youkai had not. Yes, the inu-hanyou would definitely be repaid for that blow.

Not only that, but he would have to repay his brother, Sesshoumaru, for killing his demon horse, Entei. True, he, himself, was fast and agile, but Inuyasha's older half-brother was just as quick, and wasn't like Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru knew how to use a sword, and had taken off Entei's head before he could help him, which got rid of not only his ride, but also his faithful companion.

Both inu brothers' would pay.

Kagura bowed, her back stiff, before turning toward the door. However, she heard her master's final comment, which made her stop dead in her tracks, Hakudoushi stopping at her heels. Though she would not admit it, the comment chilled her to the very bone, and she wished it were not true.

"Remember, Kagura," Naraku stated, "I hold your heart within my hand. Should you betray me, I will crush it until your body turns to nothing but ash… Then, Kagura, you shall be  _free_."

Nodding, though she was still facing the door, she replied, "I shall not fail, Naraku. I know my duty…"

Naraku smirked, "Just as you knew your duty when you tried to become ally's with the taiyoukai, Sesshoumaru?"

Kagura remembered  _it_  well. Naraku probably knew of all the times she tried to become either an ally, or a lover to the Lord Sesshoumaru, Taiyoukai of the Western Lands, Prince of Dogs, and King of the House of the Moon. However, the last time, the taiyoukai had told her he'd rather mate with a ningen woman then ever take her on in bed. Something about her being too beneath him to even lick the scum off his boots. Sesshoumaru knew that she was merely using him to become free of Naraku, and left her gritting her fangs, and spitting fire.

He knew how to work her up. Though at one time she would have thought this was a good thing, she now knew it was bad. Naraku, long ago, had given her another  _gift_ , one that did not come to passing before he needed it to be effective. Now, he could look through her eyes, and see what she saw, instead of using Kanna's mirror. He could haunt her mind, while wondering in her thoughts. Now, Naraku would know of everything she ever did, whether it was for him, or otherwise.

"…That, Naraku, was a mistake," Kagura replied, her voice cold as ice. She straightened herself, before moving toward the door, opening it, before moving down the hall. She knew that the young looking incarnation following her would close it, so why should she bother.

Hakudoushi bowed once more, before moving forward. He would not need his weapon for this mission; he knew that. He would merely need to first inform the taiyoukai, Sesshoumaru that Naraku wished to see him for the final _battle_. Of course, this would get the taiyoukai's attention, and he could come to the stone gate, as he liked to call it, just as Inuyasha's little group did. Once they were all inside the stone gate, they would be history, literally.

Stepping outside the door, Hakudoushi slid the sliding door closed, before following behind his older sibling. He knew he would accomplish this mission. Inuyasha would not stop him, nor would his older half-brother, or the foolish miko.

Naraku waited until his hanyou ears could hear Kagura's wind magic swimming through the castle, before her feature took off, before turning to Kanna. The second of his incarnations, and the most useful, for Kanna did not complain, she merely did as she was told, and nothing more. He was sure that somewhere, deep down, Kanna, too, wanted to be free, but did not truly understand what it meant. So, for now, he would continue to use her powers to see through her mirror, and the sucking of souls.

"Kanna," he said.

The small albino girl knew what to do, and instantly the image of Inuyasha and his friends came into view. Naraku narrowed his eyes at the image, and told himself they would all be gone soon. Soon they would be either dead, or in a place where no one, not even the strongest of magic, could find them. Soon they would forever be out of his hair, and then he would begin taking over Japan… before the world fell into his grasp.

_Soon…_

However, he swung his hand, telling Kanna to change the image, and like before she knew of whom he wished to see. The mirror clouded with a silvery-gray, before it began to clear at the center, and out further throughout the mirror. Finally, the image of the taiyoukai, Sesshoumaru, the little girl, Rin, the dragon, AhUn, and the imp, Jaken came into sight for his viewing pleasure.

The taiyoukai tensed for a moment, his head turning to the sides, before he continued forward at a faster pace. He seemed to know that he was being watched, but wished to not show it completely. However, though to anyone else the mighty taiyoukai might have looked like he was out for a stroll with his young ward, and retainer, Naraku knew the taiyoukai was trying to focus in on him. Unfortunately for the taiyoukai, Kanna's magic could not be traced so easily with merely youki.

Still, Naraku's mind began wrapping around the thought of being the  _King of the House of the Moon_. One of the many titles the Prince of Dogs – he did not have heir, yet, so he was still considered such – had. True, once Inuyasha was gone, and he killed off Sesshoumaru, he, Naraku, could not become the Prince of Dogs, but he could become Lord of the Western Lands, and King of the House of the Moon! He, himself, was not a dog, but that did not mean he could not control the entire Western Providence. In fact, he'd rule it better then Lord Sesshoumaru, for he'd wage war against the other lords', and ladies, before taking over the entire country of Japan. Sesshoumaru was too naïve for this task.

Who knew, maybe he could push Sesshoumaru close enough to the device, and he, too, would disappear. Then, even then, he could take over the Western Lands; the lands once ruled by the Great Taiyoukai Touga, Sesshoumaru's father! In fact, from his point of view, it was hard to see why many thought so much of Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru was nothing compared to what he'd heard of his father. Where Taiyoukai Touga was kind and gentle, Sesshoumaru was cruel and destructive.

The exact reason for his name, no?  _Killing Perfection, Destroyer of Life, Killing Blade,_ it could be many things, but each led to one thing:  _death._  How could someone even wish for that to be there leader?

"Kanna, show me the miko," Naraku said. He watched as Kanna dipped her head, her mirror changing to the fuzzy image of Kikyo, lounging in a tree.

How he loathed her! He wished for her death, yet, she did not die. He'd killed her on Mount Hakurei, but again she came to life. The bitch would not stay dead! It was as if the fates were mocking him, for the soul, the one, which now belonged to the miko Kagome, would not leave her. Not unless Kagome called upon it, but she knew that Inuyasha loved Kikyo, and did not wish to get in the way.

How very noble of her.

 _Soon,_ he told himself _, soon… it shall all be mine._


	2. Pushed into a Trap

"Inuyasha," Kagome called, dragging her tired feet along the ground once more. It was nearly midday, and Inuyasha continued to push them forward. She knew they could not last much longer, but Inuyasha continued to try and search for the  _real_ last shard, since she'd… accidentally, cracked her piece of fragment, and… well, it resulted in what happened the first time the Shikon no Tama was broken down into millions of little fragments. Except, now there weren't as many, and… Naraku's incarnations, Hakudoushi, and Akira were getting to them first.

Her inu-hanyou friend did not response, and she felt frustrated. She needed a bath, since she felt like she was covered in sweat, and dirt from the youkai attack earlier. She wanted to stop for a while, since the day was continuing to get hotter, and hotter. She knew that the others probably felt the same way, since they weren't exactly under the shade of the trees, but traveling along a long dirt path that seemed to have no end in sight. However, Inuyasha, like always, was being stubborn and pushed them harder then they could go… and he knew it.

Biting her bottom lip from habit, Kagome tried to reason with herself, telling her heart that it would probably be best just to sit Inuyasha and get it over with. Her heart, the part of her that felt the strongest connection with Inuyasha, however, did not agree. In the end, though, she won, and finally growled, "Inuyasha, don't make me say it!"

Inuyasha's puppy-dog ears shifted into a better position to hear her comment, before giving off his famous, "Feh" sound. "You better not, bitch," he replied. Glancing back at her, he felt his body grow cold at his comment, but knew it was for the best. Kikyo would soon be revived with the Shikon no Tama, because inside his heart, somewhere, he was frightened that Kagome would leave once the Shikon was wished upon; a pure-hearted wish would cause her to leave him.

At least if he gave Kikyo her life back, without Kagome's soul, then he could have someone to love him. If Kagome was pulled through the well, or thrown back into her time era, then he'd never see her again. At least once Kikyo got another soul, and another chance; he would be able to have one of them. True, Kikyo might be a little different, but she wouldn't be the cold-hearted bitch she'd turned out to be upon resurrection. Once Kagome's pure-hearted wish was made, – he knew she'd wish for whatever he asked - he could try again, for the third time, to make a woman happy, instead of crushing her feelings so many times.

He'd done that enough already.

Besides, Kagome just seemed like such a child. She wasn't woman enough for him. Or… that was what he told himself so many times a day.

" _Inuyasha…_ " Kagome snapped. How dare he call her such a degrading name! Sometimes she wondered if she should just let go of the feelings she had, even if it caused her to grieve for a while, and find another person to love. That way she wouldn't be hurt so many times.

Like it was said: ' _there are many fish in the sea'._

Sango and Miroku watched as Inuyasha's ears flattened, and just as he was about to turn on the girl, Kagome let out the magic word. Inuyasha hit the dirt, his face planting itself in firm soil, before Kagome began repeating her word of subjection over and over again before she began panting for air. Of course, like most times, by then Inuyasha was inside his own little crater, knocked out from the force of Kagome's anger. Inuyasha, like always, should have been glad that Kagome wasn't the type to stay angry, or he might find himself kissing the dirt more often… Yes, he was lucky not to have Sango,  _or_ Miroku – amazingly; the monk could not stand to see a woman hurt in such ways – in Kagome's stead. They both would make Inuyasha's life a living hell just for putting Kagome through this for nearly over a year now.

She deserved better. Now, though Miroku, and Sango tried to stay out of the Inuyasha, Kagome, Kikyo love triangle, they also wanted Kagome to be happy. With Kikyo still walking the Earth's soil, Kagome could never find happiness with Inuyasha. Besides, when they spoke privately on the matter, they always came to the same conclusion: Kagome needed a youkai mate… They once thought about asking Kouga to join their group, but that had gone down the tube when Kouga came to tell Kagome he was sorry, when asked what was wrong, he told them that he'd been forced into a mating ritual with Ayame, from the Northern wolf tribe; the mating bond between the two couldn't have been broken. Unfortunately, their efforts of finding Kagome a demon mate, one who would not only cherish her like a mate should, and treat her right, but also one who's love would tie their friend's life force to the feudal era, so that when she made the pure-hearted wish on the Shikon, she would stay with them…

True, with a youkai mate Kagome's life would expand until she was destined to see them die, just to live the same years as her mate, but they were positive Kagome would be able to handle it. After all, Kagome, each and everyday like clockwork, dealt with Inuyasha, the idiot hanyou who didn't return Kagome's affections like he should. Kagome was a strong spirit, who could make friends with everyone with she tried; living so many years like a true youkai, she'd make friends with other youkai females, trying to fill the ache she had for them. However, even though they were gone, she'd always wish they were there… they knew that.

It, truly, was the only set back to finding Kagome a youkai mate.

Sighing, Miroku stepped toward the fuming miko, before resting his had on her shoulder. When she turned toward him, looking like a hellcat ready to strike out, he raised his staff in defense, before saying, "Kagome-sama, perhaps now we may stop to rest?"

Kagome's anger faded, remembering the reason why she'd flattened Inuyasha's face in the first place. Smiling toward Miroku, Kagome replied, "Hai, that sounds like a wonderful idea, Miroku-san. Perhaps you can find us some shade, it seems to be getting hotter by the minute."

Smiling innocently, Miroku bowed his head, "I'd be honored, Kagome-sama."

Sango scowled, coming up behind him when she saw his hand make a move, "We're sure you would, houshi… now, get moving."

Smiling brightly, Miroku moved his hand from Kagome's back, and waved it in front of him. "Sango, darling, I meant no offence." Miroku gave a shaking smile, knowing this was going nowhere, fast.

"Yeah, right," Sango huffed, gripping his sleeve. "Come on, you lechorous houshi, lets go find Kagome-chan some shade." Sango stopped for a moment, turning to glare at the monk, before adding, "And…  **don't** ever call me darling again, understand?"

Nodding vigorously, Miroku quickly agreed, "Hai, hai, of course, dearest Sango."

Kagome gave a soft laugh when she heard Sango give a battle cry, before the shuffling of Miroku's sandals as he raced past her on the path, the angry taijiya right behind him. Though Sango seemed madder then a hatter, Kagome knew that she meant well, and actually held affection for the lecherous houshi named Miroku. Now, as soon as they began to realize it between themselves… well, she'd finally become a godmother! She'd actually tried to picture Miroku and Sango's children – if they ever got the nerve to try – but it just didn't seem realistic enough, since she knew that it might happen any day now.

Ok, so, she was getting a little ahead of herself. Yes, she knew that Rome wasn't made in a day, and these things needed time to proper and grow, but… well, she couldn't wait to get ahold of any children that might be produced between those two. At least –

\- if she ever got to see them.

She knew the chances were slim of her being able to stay in the feudal era once Naraku was gone. After all, she'd once been told that when you fulfill your destiny everything falls into place. Well, she'd never been from this era in the first place, so maybe whatever magic had brought her to the warring states era would decide that it was time for her futuristic form to move on with the life she thought she was supposed to have. Maybe once she collected the Shikon no Tama together, and made a pure-hearted wish… she'd simply go back to her fifteenth birthday, and start anew, but in the future. She'd never remember Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kirara, Rin, Jaken, unfortunately, Sesshoumaru… or, Inuyasha. They might never remember her… or perhaps they might, and when she was simply regular old Kagome again she'd find a legend on the Miko of the Shikon, and how she helped defeat a powerful evil, while traveling beside her friends. Maybe she'd end up working for the modernized Sesshoumaru – she was pretty sure he hadn't died… unless he lost a battle or something – and would never know. Yet, he would be in the background watching as she worked, and grew, until even she faded into dust and left nothing but tormenting memories for him.

 _Yeah, Kagome,_ she laughed to herself, dropping her heavy bag to the ground,  _you keep on believing that._  It'd be a cold day in hell before Sesshoumaru asked anything of her, whether it was to stay close by his side, to mate, or… to remember – that way he wouldn't be alone in the modern era.

Hell, she wasn't even sure if he was alive in the modern era. If he was then the world was doomed, since he was probably some tightwad businessman who had women hanging on him.

She gave a small giggle, picturing Sesshoumaru in a business suit, cash flooding from his pockets, and women hanging on his arms, while he gave nothing but a look between annoyance and boredom. Her noise got a small 'mew' in response, and she turned to find Kirara sitting a few feet away. Though her mind continued to supply to the current imagery inside her mind, adding her friends as adults asking Sesshoumaru to marry them, she called out to her feline friend, watching as the fire cat moved forward to meet her hand.

Still, knowing her future friends, Eri, Ayumi, and Yuka, they'd probably fall head over heels as soon as they saw the Taiyoukai of the West. She'd always wondered what would happen if she showed them the picture she'd accidentally snapped of him. Of course, Sesshoumaru hadn't been happy about that, since he'd thought it was some type of attack – weak, as it seemed, he said. However, the growl he gave her was far more terrifying then she'd ever heard from Inuyasha, and it was only after she explained that she'd wanted to take a picture – yes, she'd explained that as well – of Rin, but had missed.

Still, the picture was quite nice, though, she did feel a little guilty keeping it, instead of showing him like she'd promised. She'd have to do that before… well, just  _before_  any bad happened. She really didn't think he'd care either way, really, but it was just something she felt the need to do.

"Hey, Kirara, feelin' lonely?" Kagome asked, beginning to stroke the soft fur on Kirara's back. The feline gave another small 'mew', which caused Kagome to sigh. "You know, Kirara… I sure wish you could talk."

The red eyes of the cat merely stared up at her. Though Kirara was technically an animal, Kagome was sure her youkai friend understood what she said. However, she was also positive that because Kirara couldn't generate a humanoid looking form that she could not speak. Either that, or Kirara didn't have enough youki to speak at all. Still, she wasn't surprised when she didn't get an answer to her statement – well, besides the slight rub Kirara gave her arm, before beginning to purr.

Casting a glance over toward her hanyou friend, Kagome bit the inside of her lip out of habit, before lifting Kirara into her arms, and petting her back in long strokes. "I wish Inuyasha hadn't made Shippo stay in Edo, Kirara," she whispered, giving Inuyasha another dark look. "I know he means well, but I miss him… and Sango and Miroku are always off by themselves, while Inuyasha simply ignores me anymore. Sometimes, Kirara, I wish I had someone who would talk with me… hold me… and tell me everything's going to be alright…"

Kagome felt tears form in her eyes, "I-I think that if I found anyone like that here, though, I'd have to leave them soon. I don't know why, Kirara, but I feel as if something is going to happen – perhaps today… or maybe tomorrow. I'm not sure, but if something does happen, I want you to watch after everyone, since I know you can, ok, Kirara?"

The neko gave another soft 'mew', rubbing herself against Kagome's arm, before winding herself into a small ball, where she began to sleep. Kagome, smiling down at her, continued to stroke her white fur, placing with one of her twin tails every once in a while, but otherwise leaving the feline to sleep in her newly found, comfortable, position.

Kagome gave a small haunting smile, before saying, "That's my girl."

After all, she knew more about what was going on then the others thought she did. True, Inuyasha might think she was blind eye to these things, but she knew about his nightly visits to Kikyo anymore. She loved him with all her heart, but after so long of him merely gallivanting off with some dead, clay pot, her love began to sag. Though she knew she'd cry for days on end for her lost, first love, she'd understand when he asked her to use the Shikon no Tama to bring Kikyo back to life…

Perhaps he'd understand that she couldn't… No, she…  _wouldn't._

It would taint the Shikon, bringing it back into existent in another century… There it would become another person's responsibility. She couldn't push something like that onto someone. Besides, Midoriko herself would have been proud that she thought about the world first, instead of listening to her heart. Even if her heart continued to torment her, telling her that she should do what Inuyasha asked, and though she might end up doing so, she wasn't going to wish for something like that.

oOo

Off in the bushes, two figures bumped into one another, each trying to see out the small space they'd parted to watch as their miko friend talked with the none-responsive Kirara. They knew that Kagome was lonely, and they knew that she needed someone who would be devoted to her. They knew, merely from listening to her, that Kagome knew more then she spoke of, and probably felt the weight of it all finally coming down to rest on her shoulders.

Sighing, Sango whispered, "Kagome gives so much—"

"—Yet, she asks for nothing in return," Miroku finished the thought.

Nodding, Sango returned her face toward her friend, feeling the anguish in the young miko's voice. Mostly from when she spoke of the little kitsune Inuyasha had threatened to kill if they didn't leave him in the village with Keade. They knew that the hanyou had merely wanted to protect the kit, feeling that Naraku might strike any day now, since the jewel shards were beginning to get low, and fast. Inuyasha, in a brotherly way, hadn't wanted the kit to get hurt, but in the process hurt Kagome – not only in her mind, but he'd puckered her soul in a way no one would be able to heal.

Going after the child of a protective mother was the worse offence you could ever commit on a family, especially when they've done nothing to bring it upon themselves. Inuyasha should have known that, since from what they understood, he'd never been accepted by any race – ningen or youkai. He'd been shunned all his life, only his mother caring for him when he was younger. He should have known what those words would have done to poor little Shippo, who cowered away from him whenever they visited the village. In the future, Shippo might see Inuyasha as Inuyasha saw Sesshoumaru… an enemy who tried to take things from you, and sometimes succeeded.

"I didn't know Kagome-sama seemed so heart-broken as of late," Miroku sighed, feeling ashamed for not seeing it sooner. However, watching her now, he could easily see the signs of early depression and loneliness. Kagome would never tell anyone, since she was supposed to be sunshine smiles, and cheerful laughs everyday – at least, to everyone else. You look beneath her armor, though, and you'd see a girl who was a little frightened of what was going on, wishing that she had someone to share the burden with.

Sango nodded in return, "Hai, but we're the only ones Kagome-chan has, houshi. Lately, just as Kagome said, Inuyasha has been acting different… when I heard him panting Kagome's name somewhere off in the woods around a month ago."

Miroku's head lowered in acceptance, "That was around the time we found out Kikyo hadn't actually died on Mount Hakurei, wasn't it?"

"Hai," Sango replied, "it was."

"Do you think Inuyasha met with Kikyo-sama in private late one night?" Miroku asked. His hand tightened on his shakujo, thinking of the times when Inuyasha tore Kagome's heart up a little more, while he betrayed her trust for him.

Giving a small snort, Sango said, "I don't doubt it, if that's what you're asking, houshi."

"Neither do I," Miroku sighed, "which, in the end, makes it worse for us all.

"If we can't find someone else to hold Kagome's heart; to care for her, then we might lose her. Not in body, but in mind. Either that, or her heart will become so shattered when Inuyasha asks for Kikyo to be given another soul to live as a normal human woman, before Kagome jumps back into the Bone Eaters Well and never returns to us…"

"We can't let that happen, Miroku," Sango hissed, pulling him down when Kagome glanced in their direction. However, when she looked back, she gave a confused look, before asking, "Why are we hiding again?"

"Because, Sango-san, we're supposed to be finding Kagome-sama shade," Miroku replied.

"Right," Sango said, "lets hop to it, then."

Miroku smiled, flashing her a perverted grin, "Why, Sango darling, if you want to hop, then you may hop right into my lap and take a ride you'll never forget!"

"Oh, you're such a hentai, houshi," Sango hissed, moving away from him quickly. She dropped his name, deciding that 'monk' was better suited for him, since he should try to act as such. Really, he was beginning, no, he had, given many monk's a bad name.

Sighing, Miroku pouted, "Very well."

oOo

"Hurry, Kagura," Hakudoushi commanded, wishing to get this small, meaningless task over and done with before the sun went down. Though the breeze was nice, Hakudoushi was continuously assaulted with Kagura's thoughts. It would not bother him if he were battling another demon, slicing their head from their shoulders, or searching for the remaining jewel shards. No, he was forced to go out on an  _errand_  with his most annoying of siblings.

Kagura sighed, "I'm going as fast as I can, Hakudoushi. Don't worry, I'm sure Naraku will allow you to kill  _something_ after those fools are gone." Turning her head toward him, she thought,  _creepy little child… even after all this time. Strange._

Keeping his face calm and collected, Hakudoushi let his smooth voice form, "You remember that I can read your thoughts, do you not, Kagura?"

"Hai," Kagura hissed, pushing the wind a little harder. The feature they were riding twisted in the air, yet continued to glide with mastered ease. They would fly to Inuyasha first, knowing the hanyou would need more time to get to the device, before summoning Sesshoumaru. Hakudoushi would handle the demon lord, while she, Kagura, confronted Inuyasha like she'd done many times so far, merely landing in his campsite, before flying away. "I have not forgotten anything, Hakudoushi," she finished.

Hakudoushi's clear, soft lavender eyes twinkled a little, remembering the first time he'd told Kagura about his ability. Then, he had had Entei, and had confronted Inuyasha himself about the jewel maker – the way to the border between the living and the dead. Smirking a little, Hakudoushi said, "It is a shame our plan to force open the gate between this world and the next failed, Kagura. I was hoping Inuyasha would have died that day… A shame, really, that a dead soul managed to show up at just the right time."

Kagura remembered that day well. It was the day Inuyasha fought with the guardians of the gate, and nearly lost. However, that soul, a strong demonic one that had probably died in battle had come to the gate. The guardians had retreated, standing back to open the gate for the souls passage, but in the process allowed them inside as well. Of course, after obtaining the jewel shard they left, leaving Inuyasha and his gang between the living and the dead… However, the hanyou and his crew weren't willing to merely die, and had managed to somehow return to Earth. They really were quite annoying.

"Kagura, they are close by," Hakudoushi said, poking her in the back, "Head northeast."

Kagura gave a cocky, yet faked surprised reply of, "Oh! Really, they are?" She could smell Inuyasha a mile away, so she didn't need this boy telling her where they were.

"Kagura, this is no time for games, now go," the boy replied. Kagura shivered a little, hating it that the boy she her name at the beginning of almost all his sentences. It was just plain creepy. She hated it, since she was the one who was always sent out with him. Did Naraku go? No, of course he didn't, because he wanted to strengthen his hanyou abilities, the coward. He had no intention of trying to fight the Inu-gang or Sesshoumaru until he was sure that he could merely flick his wrist and they'd go down. Main reason why he was sending them out to do this mission, instead of doing it himself – he wanted to make sure that the idiots not only came to the device, instead of merely attacking him, but also so he didn't get any injuries. Apparently, Naraku wasn't completely confident in himself.

"Naraku is not confident about the device working on the group themselves, Kagura," Hakudoushi supplied. "He does not know if it will make them disappear as it did Akira."

Hm… so that was the reason. Either way, Naraku was a coward.

oOo

Sesshoumaru sniffed the air, scenting out the wind witch before her small wind vortex landed before him. However, as he growled, it was not the wind sorceress who stepped forward, but the young boy dressed in white grabs, his lavender eyes staring up at him with defiance. The smirk on the boys face told him that something was amiss, but as his retainer started screeching, his dragon growled in warning, and his young human ward gave a soft gasp, he turned his golden eyes toward them a little.

"Sesshoumaru," the boy spat.

"It is  _Lord_  Sesshoumaru to you, spoiled brat!" Jaken yelled, swinging the staff of two heads in a circle, ready to attack at any moment. However, the boy's glare silenced him, and he raced behind AhUn, wondering if he'd taken the right course of action. However, even if he hadn't his lord and master would take care of this young youkai scum with merely a flick of his hand. After all, he'd seen him single handedly kill the boy's oversized demon horse.

"Jaken, quiet," Sesshoumaru said, his tone cold but stern. He knew this boy. Though he was not as dangerous as he seemed to a fully trained youkai like himself, he could be a pain in the backside to anyone else. He knew that this incarnation was Naraku's worst, but probably not his last, since he was always coming up with new ideas and creatures. Naraku was more annoying then even his half-brother, for at least Inuyasha did not run from everything thrown at him, but instead fought it like a warrior.

"Hai… milord," Jaken gulped, hiding himself more behind the dragon. The boy might be scary, but his lord's wrath was real, solid, and hurt. He knew that from experience.

Kagura hung in the background, smirking at the memory of Inuyasha's body inside a crater before they showed. It would seem the miko wench had a way of controlling the beastly creature. Even still, the hanyou had tried to attack them, but Hakudoushi, obviously trying to make a big deal out of everything, fended the hanyou off with ease. All the while she told the others where Naraku would want them – that the final battle had come, and if they were not there, they might not get a piece of his demise… or theirs. This had gotten Inuyasha's attention, and he turned toward her, growling a reply about how he would cause Naraku's death, no one else. Of course, they hadn't paid attention to this, merely telling him that if he were late they'd miss out on all the fun… also that his scent would show the way. It was a good enough explanation for the hanyou since he wouldn't be able to understand very big words. Still, it was such a pity Naraku wouldn't allow her to toy with the hanyou. He'd continued to hiss at her within her thoughts, telling her not to touch Inuyasha because he was his to fool, his to destroy with his magical device. Now that they'd gone and went she still wished she could have gotten at least a few swings at Inuyasha before he was gone forever. Before Naraku pushed him into his stupid trap, and they all went bye-bye.

Of course, she'd never understood that either. They'd all have to be in the exact distance, for it to work, but they could easily move out of the twenty-foot range before the device began working. Then they'd jump over the damn thing and Naraku would meet his end. What was the point? Really, if they couldn't at least attack them to make them think it was safe to come within that distance, then there was no point, actually. But no, Naraku wanted them to merely fly over the device and nothing more. What a coward he was… oh, wait; she'd already established this a long time ago.

No wonder Naraku was an idiot. Of course if he ever heard her saying that he'd probably laugh his ass off. Naraku was… strange, as of late. Probably from the reappearance of Kikyo – the miko who would not die, no matter how many times Naraku tried. Not her problem, actually, but since she was a  _piece_ of Naraku, it became her problem. Mainly because she was always sent to attack the blasted miko, and when she was injured she ran away like a smart woman would do.

"Sesshoumaru," Hakudoushi continued, "I bring you a message from Naraku."

Narrowing his eyes further, Sesshoumaru lifted his lip, "I will not be apart of Naraku's schemes again, boy."

"Ah…" Hakudoushi gave a curt laugh. "You misjudge him, Sesshoumaru. He does not want your assistance, he wants your presence at the final battle… then it will be done and over with, and you shall be dead."

Rin gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. She was only around ten years now, but she couldn't bear to see her Sesshoumaru-sama die! He was everything to her. She loved him as she'd loved her father before he died. She did not want another father to die. She did not want to lose him like she'd lost her last family. AhUn, Jaken, and Lord Sesshoumaru were all she had. Well, she had Kagome-chan when they saw each other, since Kagome was the nicest girl she'd ever met. Kagome-chan gave her candy, but she knew that she'd have to make due with one of them, and Kagome-chan had to collect the pretty shards that Sesshoumaru-sama had grown accustom to giving Kagome-chan when they crossed paths. It seemed that Sesshoumaru-sama shunned all humans but her and Kagome-chan, but Lord Sesshoumaru would probably never consider taking Kagome-chan as his mate, since they were so…  _different_. She wished he'd consider it, though, since then she'd get both her favorite people in the world as her parents. Of course, she also knew that Sesshoumaru-sama would never actually call her his daughter, since then other youkai would come to try and take her away from him, and he didn't want that. Lord Sesshoumaru  **knew** _everything!_

Letting a small smirk curve on his lip, Sesshoumaru said, "So, Naraku has finally decided to stop hiding behind a barrier and fight me?"

"He wants to fight all of you at once, Sesshoumaru," Hakudoushi said. "I'm sure you wouldn't want others to say you were a coward compared you younger half-brother who showed at the final battle… but died. I'm sure we both realize that Inuyasha will not make it."

"The hanyou might not," Sesshoumaru growled, "but inform Naraku that I will take his head."

Giving a mocking bow, Hakudoushi said, "Hai,  _milord_."

Before Sesshoumaru could reply, Kagura wrapped herself around the boy, her wind vortex once more forming around them. They flew into the air, before he saw the vortex break apart suddenly, the two youkai riding away on Kagura's feature. However, that did not concern him, since his mind was on the final battle. Naraku had finally decided to come out of his hiding place and fight them. He knew that Inuyasha's little group, though he only remembered the name of his half-brother and the miko, would be there, fighting for the same purpose. He swore that he'd be the one to take Naraku's head, since he was sure that even Naraku's regeneration powers would not work when his head was severed from his body.

His claws itched for the kill as he turned toward the direction Kagura and the boy were heading. He would not be put underneath Inuyasha when it came to fighting. He was the alpha of the inu group, not his bastard hanyou brother. His hanyou brother would never take that from him! He'd already taken the prized sword Tetsusigia, and he'd gotten the Sou'unga bond to him, which caused the sword to go haywire. Because of this he had to help seal it away in hell, instead of holding its power within his grasp. Inuyasha had taken enough from him; he would not take the title of the Prince of Dogs.

As soon as he had an heir, however, he would be the King of Dogs, and his son would be the Prince of Dogs. After all, he was full-blooded, and even if his child where to ever be hanyou – though he doubted they would be – then they would be higher in status then Inuyasha. Besides, Inuyasha would never deserve the title of  _prince_.

"Come Jaken," Sesshoumaru called, knowing the imp would pull AhUn, and Rin behind him. After hearing Jaken's squawked reply, he began setting the pace, wanting to get to the battleground as soon as possible. After all, the sooner he got there the sooner the battle would begin, and Naraku's head would soon be sitting on his desk as a paperweight.

oOo

"Kagome," Sango called out to the miko. Seeing her turn toward her, Sango said, "Would you like to ride Kirara during the battle? You could get closer to fire off your arrows, and then you wouldn't have to carry your bag, Kirara can do that." She knew that the girl was very fond of the neko, and was pleased when Kirara transformed, and Kagome came to climb onto her back.

"Thank you, Sango," Kagome said, nodding lightly. She had a feeling Sango had heard her talking to Kirara before, but she was still happy that her bag settled onto Kirara's back easily, her hand holding it there for now. However, she knew that she'd have to situate it onto her back once they entered the battle, for she'd probably lose it otherwise.

Inuyasha sniffed the air, giving off a pleased growl when he caught the scent of Naraku. "He's this way, guys," Inuyasha called to the others, rushing off to the east. He did not mind that the others were far behind him; he simply wanted to taste Naraku's blood on his tongue. He wanted to feel Naraku's flesh sliding down his arms, while covering his clothing. He wanted it all, and he wasn't going to be late to get it - especially since his brother was supposed to be there.

Sesshoumaru would not get his glory!

Kagome sighed, before calling out, "Sango, you want to ride with me until we get there?"

Miroku, seeming offended, replied, "What about me, Kagome-sama?"

Huffing, Kagome scowled, "You're not sitting behind me, hentai."

Sango chuckled, Kirara coming to her side. Kagome'd already moved back so she could easily climb on, which she did within moments. The houshi continued to run, his human legs pumping to keep up with her demonic companion. However, she smiled, knowing that once they got to the battle everything would fall into place. After all, if they were destined to defeat Naraku then it would happen. If they were not, then someone else would, since Kagome's time barely had a youkai, and Naraku would have probably enslaved them all, including the ningens to work for him and him alone.

oOo

Naraku watched, seeing Inuyasha's form come into view as a small red dot. He sensed Sesshoumaru off in the forest to his left, but that did not matter, since he would probably exit the forest right in front of the device, which meant it would activate. He was positive that anyone could be thrown inside, but the only real thing was if they had a pure soul would they disappear, or merely float around. Not that it mattered to him, since the large keyhole looking stone would not bring them back. Akira was an example of that.

Smirking, he closed his eyes, waiting for them to arrive. It was Inuyasha who burst into the scene first, but Kagura, standing thirty feet in front of the device began blasting the hanyou with her wind attacks. It kept him at bay, since the hanyou was obviously more indulged with Kagura then with anything else. Still, he needed the others around as well, or they would wonder where Inuyasha was, before one of them stepped over the line and disappeared causing the others to run. That would probably get rid of Inuyasha, and one of his moronic friends, since Sesshoumaru if not touching the ground at the right moment would merely jump over the device, leaving the others to their fate. Then he'd still have to fight the stupid taiyoukai… though she was still positive he'd fall at his hand.

Inuyasha growled, hearing the echoing roar Kirara gave off, its sound traveling toward them. Within moments Miroku slide to his side, his staff coming up to protect him from the blades of wind Kagura continued to blast toward them. Sango landed next to them soon after, her hiraikotsu flying toward the wind witch. However, it was blasted back toward them as he watched an arrow fly down at Kagura from up above.

Hakudoushi turned his attention to the miko in the sky from his post on top of the device. Blinking, he reached down, grabbed a hishu (dagger) from the inside of his sleeve. Turning the metal in the sunlight, he flicked it out, watching as it came extremely close to striking the miko in the face. However, not only did he miss on purpose, but the neko had moved the slightest. Still, he might have to force the miko off the neko, for that might be the only way to get them to move over the line.

Naraku laughed, before calling, "Inuyasha!" He wasn't certain if the device only worked when you touched the ground, but he shot out his longest tentacle, happy to find that as it moved through the center of the device, never touching the ground, nothing happened. Of course, he might have to cut it off when the magic began, but he would deal with it when the time came.

Turning her eyes toward the voice of evil, Kagome swung another arrow from her back, urging Kirara toward the top of the strange looking stone tablet. She watched Hakudoushi with caution, but let her arrow fly. However, she cursed when the arrow missed him, hitting the dirt behind him, its energy causing the arrow to burst into bits. However, that was not the result she wanted! She wanted Naraku to be blown into bits, not just the arrow!

Sango raced forward a bit, throwing her mighty weapon once again. However, Kagura's wind attacks did nothing to help her boomerang. As it came back toward her, she ducked noticing how low it was, before turning to watch as it slammed into a tree, the trunk so thick it merely stuck there. Cursing, Sango moved toward Miroku, allowing her hand to grasp her sword's hilt, pulling the metal from its sheath with the 'sheeenk' sound. Twisting the sword quickly, she took up her stance beside Miroku, watching as Inuyasha raced forward, never once trying to draw his sword, but merely attacking Kagura with his claws. It was pointless to use the wind scar against Kagura, anyway, so she could understand why he didn't go for his sword, even when one of Naraku's tentacles slammed him in the back tossing him forward.

Kagome turned her attack, drawing another arrow, yelling for the others to look out as she aimed. However, when she let loose the wave of purification toward Kagura another hishu sliced through her cheek lightly. She jumped a little, the arrow falling way off course. Cursing again, Kagome yelled, "Kirara, I think its time to teach Hakudoushi a lesson, don't you?"

The neko gave another piercing roar, seeming to agree with the girl currently riding on her back. Running in midair, Kirara easily turned herself toward the boy, and went surging in toward him. However, even as Kagome readied an arrow on her back, and she came in at youkai speeds, the boy easily flipped away from both, landing back on the ground near Naraku. Growling, Kirara bared her fangs at him, knowing he was a threat to the ningen on her back, before heading back into the battle as Kagome's arrow was let loose. Like most of the other times they'd encountered Naraku, however, it struck a barrier, as the armored male laughed with humor. Growling again, Kirara gave another echoing cat roar, knowing it traveled for miles.

"That's the spirit, Kirara," Kagome smiled, patting the neko in the side. As she swerved in the air, Kagome gripped her fur tighter, knowing that letting go would mean her death. Either that or she'd hurt herself before anyone could catch her. She did not need that to happen.

Naraku watched the forest as Sesshoumaru's white figure sped outward. The dragon, currently carrying Sesshoumaru's other companions, trotted close behind, stopping when his lord stopped. However, Naraku watched Sesshoumaru with curious eyes, wondering what he'd do. He knew that it must seem strange that he did not have a horde of demons attacking them, but he could not risk that, since some of the youkai might give away the device. Then his plan would be ruined. However, he continued to watch the taiyoukai, watching as he moved from the edge of the forest, pulling his demonic sword from his obi, and began moving toward him.

Kagura smirked, knowing that the gang was all there. Dodging another one of Inuyasha's misplaced attacks, she cried, "Dance of the Dragon!" The whirling tornados went flying toward the hanyou, causing him to stumble back as she gripped the feature on top of her head. Within moments the feature had transformed into her transportation, before she began flying over the device.

Sango raced forward, going to go after the demoness…

Sesshoumaru, seeing his opportunity, sprang over the ground, going to fly straight through the strange looking stone tablet…

Inuyasha continued to fight against the whirling wind, not knowing that he'd be the only adult to be blown away from the distance…

Miroku glanced into the sky when another blast of pink shot through the air, only to see Kagome's arms flaring in the air, Kirara trying to catch her. He ran forward to catch her…

Seeing Kagura try to escape, Kagome pulled another arrow for her use, swinging it into her bow. The bag was heavy on her back as she let the arrow fly. However, Hakudoushi called out from the ground, and Kagura quickly swerved away from her attack. Giving a growl of own, she gave a gasp of surprise when Kirara reared back, her butt sliding off the soft fur, until she found herself falling toward the ground. Flaring her arms out, Kagome tried to grasp at the air, seeing Kirara, who'd been struck with an arrow in the collarbone. The cat tried to grab her, but missed, her energy going haywire before she was blown out of the sky, heading for the trees. Screaming, Kagome twisted in the air, seeing Sesshoumaru flying over the ground below her. She watched as Miroku and Sango suddenly stepped into the twenty-foot diameter. Her hands tried to grip the stone she'd nearly hit, but as she fell into the distance of the stone keyhole there was a flash…

The winds around him died, as Inuyasha gazed around. He'd known he'd seen it; the sudden flash before everything went blank. What had happened, though? He couldn't even see! A laugh caught his ears, and he turned toward the noise, recognizing Naraku's voice. However, the words rang in his ears like a ton of bricks, before he fell to his knees, his eyesight finally coming back to him after he smelt Naraku's scent leave the area.

Blinking away the sudden blindness he'd been forced into Inuyasha found that Naraku's words were true. He felt tears come to his eyes, but turned when he heard the sudden crying of a young girl. He heard her call out to Sesshoumaru, but the dragon caught her before she could rush forward toward that strange stone thing. Kirara came limping out of the forest, looking around for the others, but they were nowhere to be seen.

Sango…

Miroku…

Kagome…

Sesshoumaru…

They were… they  _were_ gone.

Just as Naraku had said, "Now, you are the only obstacle left, Inuyasha." How was he to fight, though, without his friends by his side? Kagome gave him strength because her love. Sango gave him training when he asked for it. Miroku gave him knowledge. His brother… his brother had allowed him to keep Tetsusigia. What would he do without them? What  **would**  he do…? He'd get them all out of there first… that's what he'd do…

… And he did.


	3. Not Where We Belong

She was  _falling_ …

She only knew that…

Nothing else… but the feel of falling deeper into the darkness that pulled at her…

Kagome felt like she was falling; yet at the same time she felt like she was twisting in the air hundreds of times over. Her eyes were heavy as she tried to open them, only to find that she could not. Her arms – or what felt like her arms – were dragging in the air above – or was it below her? She wasn't sure anymore, but she knew that she was falling. Feeling her body turn over, Kagome managed to finally force her eyelids open, only to find herself surrounded in darkness. She could see her own body, and three other, glowing, orbs below her – or above – but around everything solid she could see the darkness drifting over pieces, making them seem apart of the black abyss surrounding her, yet she knew it was still attached.

Breathing deeply, Kagome wondered why she couldn't recall what had happened? She remembered Naraku, and firing an arrow at Kagura, but she didn't remember anything else. Just this new darkness – it was strange, since she felt like she could drift deep into the blackness and find happiness. Or maybe it was just her imagination? Whatever it was, though, she felt as if she could remember this feeling before. When was that…? When…  **was** _anything_? Perhaps she'd experienced this feeling before, but suddenly it just blanked from her mind.

Or maybe it was just because she felt so calm… so peaceful… She couldn't remember any other time she felt this way before. No, that wasn't true. She remembered feeling this way when her father was alive, but that was when she was younger… so much younger. She was sixteen now, her father had died a long time ago. She could barely remember what he looked like when she went into the past. Only the pictures she had of him in the future reminded her of his face… his voice… his soothing, fatherly touch…

Blinking at the darkness, Kagome gave a sigh. However, before she closed her eyes once more to merely sleep within this eternal feeling she noticed the glow at her chest. It was faint, but she felt her heart begin to beat a little harder, a little faster then before. The light continued to grow until it surrounded her, pulling her into a ball, her body wrapped around itself. It wasn't the most comfortable position, but as she felt her skin begin to burn, she began to squirm against it, closing her eyes to make the feeling go away. Hoping beyond hope this was just a dream and her skin was not actually burning her alive. Hoping beyond hope that she'd wake up to find out it had only been a terrible dream, and Inuyasha would wake her gently as he used to two months ago.

Gritting her teeth, Kagome began to squirm harder, trying to get away from the suddenly burning feeling. She hoped that she'd wake up at this moment – that, this pain would go away. However, she heard another scream, female, followed by another familiar scream, male; this was followed by one of the most death chilling snarls she'd ever heard, and her holy abilities began telling her there was a youkai nearby. That she needed to destroy it. The pain, though… the pain would not leave, and she did not know how to make it go away.

Finally, she could not take it anymore, and let out one of the loudest screams she'd ever voiced. She had a feeling that she'd regret it in the end, but right now she felt like her skin was being picked apart piece by piece. It was just too much to take after she had the faintest feeling that they hadn't defeated Naraku. That he was currently taking over Japan, because they were no longer there to try and stop him. She knew that someone had to, though. It should have been them… but if that was their fate then why was she floating in nothingness?

Wiggling against the burning sensation, Kagome coughed, feeling her throat burn from her scream earlier. She knew that she'd probably never be able to make a scream that loud ever again, but she couldn't help it. Then, her stupid instincts had been wrong, the scream had not helped the burning at all, but made it worse. However, feeling tears spring into her eyes, she felt them hit her arms, before the burning began to reside.

Opening her eyes, she felt like they were ready to burst into flames, but she blinked in surprise at her clothing. It'd changed… but why? It was no longer the school uniform she used to wear, but a pair of long shorts that came down to her knees, a chain hanging off the side. Her shirt was hanging loosing down to her belly, and as she began floating onto her back once more, she noticed that the four others balls above her had cracked apart to show her Sango, Miroku… and someone with silver hair… was it Inuyasha? She couldn't tell from the distance.

She hoped it was Inuyasha.

Shaking her head, she felt a small voice tell her that everything would be all right, that she'd find her way out of the darkness every time she was lost inside it. Though she didn't know what this voice was, or even who it was, she could tell that it was someone merely trying to help her. The soothing female seemed to touch her hair gently with an invisible hand, while she shut her eyes.

_Kagome…_

Opening her eyes once more, she watched as another glow, blue instead of yellow, began forming at her chest. Wondering what was happening, Kagome ignored the voice, which had faded when her eyes opened to the abyss once more; she tried to focus on the glow. Everything seemed to go in slow motion, even the few blinks of her eyes, as she continued to watch. Then, without warning, what looked to be like a couple of data streams formed around her chest, as the glow materialized outside of her shirt, the jar she held her Shikon shards within tilting back and forth slowly.

Reaching up to grab them, Kagome went to touch the jar when the data streams became solid and round, completely covering her jar. Though everything felt like it was going slower then ever before, she watched as suddenly a flash came from the chain around her neck formed a chain, the faint 'tiinnnkkkk' sounding into the darkness. Still watching, she saw the data stream suddenly burst away from her, the several strands swimming in different directions of the abyss. Looking back at the jar, she tried to let out a gasp, but everything began moving faster suddenly, and she was falling quickly.

However her eyes continued to stare at the end of the chain taking in the small key looking figure. Its handle would had a guard around both sides so it wouldn't slip from the hand easily – if it were the right size -, while the long, silver key piece shot out from the handle, the very end looking like a pair of fangs wrapped around a heart, all in metal. However, before she could get a better look she felt a light burst around her, and she was suddenly falling into light instead of darkness, and her mind only set one thing.

Why had her Shikon shards turned into a key chain…? What  _was_  the purpose of their sudden transformation…?

oOo

" _Goofy!_ Look out," she called, running at top speed toward her truest friend; Goofy, like Donald, would forever be by her side, always helping her in her time of need. After all, the keyblade master not only had to have a kind heart to light the way to the next world, but they should be able to make friends in new places, and she had. Traveling to new worlds, trying to find her oldest friends, she'd made lots of new ones, and when she went back to the island she'd always remember, no matter what.

"Ahh… Kagome, behind you!" Donald called. His mages staff lifted into the air, blasting the heartless with a strong jolt of thunder, before turning to a nobody standing nearby. They needed to get rid of all the heartless and nobodies attacking Hallow Bastion, but with the member of Organization XIII commanding them nearby he knew that they'd have to face him soon, or never get back to helping Tron or finding Ansem's secret information on the heartless.

Ducking, Kagome swung out the keyblade, feeling the energy of her two friends surround her as she swung it into a circle. However, she flipped onto one hand, before moving away from the shadows surrounding her for attack. Landing onto her feet she slide a back few feet; Kagome placed her hand on the ground, before slashing her weapon through their bodies. She knew that with each heartless she destroyed she added another heart to Kingdom Hearts, the place Organization XIII was trying to get ahold of. However, their numbers were quickly driving low, for she'd defeated seven out of thirteen already.

Bringing the keyblade into a horizontal position before her face, Kagome knelt down onto the ground, watching as Goofy continued to take out more enemies with his shield. Springing forward, she felt the keyblade pulse in her hand, before fire surrounded her form as she called upon her magic abilities. It destroyed all but the fire magic using heartless, as she dodged an attack from a dancer nobody. However, another attack was sent at her from behind and she hit the ground rolling a few times, before she growled, grabbing the keyblade before surging back into the battle.

The keyblade continued to easily slice through the enemy, before she felt it once more pulse in her hand. Another, stronger, ability was called forth, and sudden she felt herself lift off the ground, before she surged down toward the heartless attacking her friends, the keyblade, and her own magic outlined body cutting through the heartless and nobodies like butter. However, when the magic died away, Kagome landed on the ground, twisted the keyblade next to her head, both hands grasping the handle, before batting at another enemy like a baseball player.

Quickly, feeling her magic drained, Kagome reached into her pocket before anyone could notice. Bringing the small ball in front of her, she watched the rest of her opponents closely, before crushing the small ball within her hand, the Ether quickly going to work. With that, Kagome move her body backward when another nobody attacked, its head trying to strike her in the face.

The nobody continued its endless attack, as Kagome moved backward, trying to catch it off guard. However, her plan turned on her when she felt her foot touch the end of the platform, the end of her heel knocking stones away. It was then she seemed to notice how many opponents they had, as she felt the keyblade once more pulse within her hand. It was like a friend she could never get rid of, and she knew that she'd need to do anything to protect not only the people living on Hallow Bastion, but herself, as well.

When the dusk nobody reared back, Kagome sliced the keyblade through its throat, watching as it disappeared into nothingness. She had not killed it, so it would be back. However, she rushed forward, knowing she had other fish to fry at the moment.

Donald slammed his body against another heartless, his staff quickly getting rid of it, before he began moving toward Goofy. King Mickey's head guard was blowing over opponents with ease by putting his strength behind his shield. However, Donald could see the weariness Goofy was beginning to feel by watching him, and moved his webbed feet to help him. However, another heartless put itself in his way, and he got the feeling they were trying to divide them from each other. Giving off another duck like scream, Donald began using his magic once again to destroy the heartless over powering him.

"Donald, Goofy!" Kagome screamed, watching as the over powering number of heartless began swarming over her friends. She gritted her teeth together, swinging the keyblade in one circle, before bringing it over her head. She knew that many of her current opponents were rearing to attack her, but she called out, "Valor Form!"

The power of her two friends filled her, while they continued to destroy their opponents. However, Kagome was lifted into the air a bit, another keyblade forming in her other hand, while her new clothing changed from its mainly black form to a red one, with black in a few places. When she landed on the ground, she crossed both the keyblades' over each other in an 'X' formation, before rushing forward, her extra amount of power destroying most of the weaker heartless surrounding her without her having to even touch them, while her weapons cut through the others.

Concentrating her attack, Kagome twisted, slicing both keyblades' through another nobody, before waiting for the right moment. The rest of their opponents turned toward her, feeling her power, sensing that she was the one they needed to take out. However, as they came closer, and closer, Kagome finally let out her final attack, a large counterattack, which wiped out the remaining opponents they had. Once done, Kagome knelt down onto the stone floor, while panting a little.

Her new form shattered, her black clothing returning to its normal color, as she laid her forehead on the end of her remaining keyblade. It could take on many forms, but she liked it as merely the Kingdom Key. It brought out the true power of the keyblade, and had helped her protect many worlds. Still, Kagome rose from her position after breathing deeply a few times, before looking around in confusion.

"Guys?" she called, turning in a circle. She looked over at Donald, and Goofy, who after the battle had apparently moved to the edge where she'd nearly fell. However, they seemed to be looking up at something, and she ran to their side, the keyblade still clutched in her hand, as she said, "What's the matter, guys?"

"Kagome, look," Goofy said, pointing up into the sky, "Wha' do ya think those are?"

Donald butted in before she could say anything, "They look like falling stars."

Confused, Kagome glanced up, her eyes searching for what they were talking about. However, when she looked hard enough, she saw it. Falling from the sky, much like a meteor would, were four brightly blazing shapes. Each looked human in form, and she glanced to where they would fall. Gasping, she said, "Guys, those things are going to hit the center of town!"

Her friends both gasped when they noticed that whatever these things were would indeed hit the center of town. The same place where Leon usually hung out while they were there. However, there would be people there, even though Leon should be watching over Ansem's computer, they knew he'd probably left to go check on things.

"Do ya think the heartless sent 'em?" Goofy said, glancing back up into the sky.

Kagome shook her head, saying, "I do know, but we got to get back before they touch the ground. They could be some new form of heartless that could easily destroy the entire world." With that, she turned back to the path, and began running back toward the town, hoping that they made it in time.

They hadn't saw him, but a black hooded friend with large round ears stood on top of the complex they had rushed away from. His eyes watched the figures, curious about them, while wondering why another form of the keyblade had suddenly showed up in the world. Unless Reina was still alive, there should be no other keyblade, because only Kagome and her nobody should be able to hold the original keyblade. Then why had another suddenly appeared, and why was it attached to the figure with a blazing white light around its form. He'd have to investigate this, for they were supposed to control the balance of the worlds, while trying to stop Organization XIII.

Still, he could only sense it a bit, but only one of those four figures had evil within them. Not a lot, but it was there. That was a good sign, since it wasn't the person holding the new form of the keyblade. A form that he was sure could cause a lot of problems if they person holding it wanted to cause some.

oOo

She felt like she'd been torn apart, before she was placed back together again. Groaning, Sango covered her eyes with her hand, wanting to get rid of the sudden amount of light blazing into them. At first it had been really dark, but then everything went bright all of a sudden. However, an intake of breath caught her attention, and she slowly opened her chocolate brown eyes, blinking against the bright blue sky, wondering for a moment where the trees… where the forest was? Blinking again, Sango slowly lifted herself onto her elbows, before glancing around. Glancing to her right, she allowed her eyes to widen when she noticed that another woman's face was thrust into hers. The face was not that of Kagome, and she let out a scream, "AHHH!"

The other woman put her hands up in defense, shaking them back and forth. "Woa, calm down, we're not going to hurt you!" Her voice was strong, and she tilted her head to the side, the band around her head following her movement, before she glanced behind her. "Leon's taking care of your friends, so they'll be fine."

"Fri—Kagome-chan!" Sango gasped, glancing back where the woman was looking. Kagome's body was lying on the ground, looking unharmed, yet her shallow breathing made her look as if she had only a few moments to live. Bringing herself up higher, Sango tried to move, but the woman kneeling beside her pushed her back down to the ground.

"Hey, hold up," the woman said. "Leon, and I are still trying to see if you have any wounds. I mean… you fell from the sky…"

"The…  _sky_?" Sango asked, glancing back up into the sky. However, she glanced back down when she caught the sight of silver, and thinking Inuyasha was standing with her back to her very close by, she looked toward it. However, she saw a large square looking hut made with a silver material, a duck looking creature sitting up on the ledge, his black eyes watching them curiously.

"Yea," the woman replied. She brought her finger up to tap at her chin, "You're the first to wake up, but you've been sitting here for about an hour. According to Leon – he was here when it happened – all four of you suddenly appeared, falling like a star, before suddenly stopping above the ground, and being gently placed upon it."

She tapped her finger again, before turning back to Sango, "Oh, by the way, my name's Yuffie. You don't have to tell me yours if you don't want to." She seemed very kind, and though Sango was a bit frightened about what was currently going on, she decided that it would be best to try and make friends with these people. After all, if they weren't in the feudal era, as Kagome called it, then they might be the only ones to know how to get back.

Blinking, Sango said, "My name is Sango."

"Sango…" Yuffie said. "That's a beautiful name, Sango. Hm… tell me, Sango, could you tell me where you guys came from?"

Sango blinked again, "Japan… Is that not where we are now?"

Yuffie shook her head, "Iie, you're in Hallow Bastion. I've never heard of a place called Japan. However, Kag—"

The man kneeling beside the unconscious form of her miko friend shot up suddenly, a hand reaching up toward him, a moan coming from the woman, "Inu… yasha…?" It was then that Sango noticed the strange clothing Kagome was wearing, which was weird, since she'd been wearing her school uniform before they got there. Noticing Kagome's strange clothing, made her realize that her own clothing was tighter then normal. Looking down, completely forgetting about her convulsing friend, Sango took notice of her small blue top, and, those strange looking things Kagome called baggy pants, white in color.

Yuffie rushed from her side, going to stand over by Kagome, saying, "Leon, do you know what's wrong with her?"

The brown haired man shook his head, his predator like eyes staring down at the young woman. "Iie, I'm afraid not, Yuffie. I think she's going through some type of… after effect caused by the fall. Have you asked her," looking over toward Sango, "where they came from?"

Yuffie nodded, looking back over at the woman, "She says they're from a place called Japan."

Leon narrowed his eyes, "It must be another world. Their ship probably broke down and they ejected from it. We'll have to ask Kag—" A feral growl cut him off, the tall male, with strips on his cheeks, a crescent moon on his forehead, and sharp looking nails, rolling to his side, his hand touching the girl at their feet.

Shaking off the strange feeling she got, Sango struggled to her feet, looking around for her weapon on instinct. However, it was then she remembered that they were not where they belonged at the moment, and no matter how hard she tried she wouldn't find it. However, as she tilted her head forward, her wobbly knees supporting her as she stood, she noticed a chain fall from around her neck. Reaching up, she grabbed it, noticing the small version of her hiraikotsu dangling from the end. It made her dizzy, but she ignored the feeling, glancing around at the things that looked like small suns, giving off light as the actual sun began to set in the distance. The buildings each had a strange design above them, while everything was made of stone and metal. This, as strange as it was, didn't make her shake with fear, since Kagome'd always told them that these things were around in her time…

Perhaps that was where they were?

"Inu… yasha…" Kagome's lips parted once more, the small sound forming before them. Again the feral growl filled the area afterward, causing Kagome to finally notice the light before her eyes. Trying to go back into the darkness surrounding her, she felt the pull from the light, and began gently opening her twin orbs. However, she was surprised to find a man wearing what looked to be leather pants, boots, a fur lined jacket, and a black t-shirt. Chains, and a huge blade told her that this wasn't right, and she looked to her side when she noticed the lightest touch of smooth skin.

Fear struck her heart for the first time, however, when she noticed just who was lying next to her. What shocked her, though, was the fact that he wasn't wearing his formal clothing, but something that a normal teenager would be found wearing, while both his swords looked like army tags around his neck. Her lips opened, the name, "Sesshoumaru" forming on them, before she jumped when his golden eyes suddenly opened to glare at her.

Sango, who'd finally decided to stop studying her surroundings, looked to her other side, before dropping to her knees. Her hand reached out, wary of the male beside her, since he was no longer wearing his prayer beads, and the purple cloth covering over his cursed hand. However, it was strange that the wind tunnel wasn't pulling in anything, and she reached out with caution toward Miroku, touching his hand, before flipping it over. When she closed her eyes, though, she felt nothing, and opened them to gasp, before shaking the houshi until he awoke, gazing at her in wonder.

"Sango?" he whispered, his hand reaching up to touch her.

However, Sango grabbed the chain around his neck, looking at what looked like a small swirling vortex. Touching it lightly, she felt the power of it pulse under her fingertips, before she said, "Miroku, your wind tunnel… it has… changed."

"Miko," Sesshoumaru growled. His eyes blinked against the strange lighting, before he lifted himself onto his elbows, looking around the place with slight confusion mixed with awe. However, it faded when he sniffed the slightly foul air, as his eyes turned onto the young miko once again. "What have you done to us, miko?" his eyes flashed as he asked.

Her fear was suddenly replaced by anger, as she growled, "I have done nothing, Sesshoumaru."

Glancing around the area, Sesshoumaru assumed this to be true. However, looking down at his strange, yet comfortable clothing, he looked at the sleeves to find the same designs from his kimono, yet the fabric felt like… well, he wasn't sure, but he knew for a fact it was not silk. Turning his eyes to the miko, he narrowed them a little more, "Hai, this Sesshoumaru believes that, miko, for you do not have even a speck of power to create  _this_."

Rolling onto her back, Kagome rolled forward until she landed onto the heels of her feet. Pushing herself upward, she stood, before looking over at the people staring at them, before blushing a little. "Oh, hello… Um, my name's Kagome." She waved a little, looking down at the ground, while trying to ignore the fact that some of their eyes became hostile.

Yuffie came forward, "What did you say your name was?" Her eyes narrowed further when she got her answer, a small ninja star held in her grasp.

"Kagome," Kagome replied, her voice a little shaky. She saw the blade the male held raise into the air a little, pointing straight at her. Kagome knew this was not where they were supposed to be, since trees had surrounded them only a few  _minutes_ , maybe hours ago. However, when the male challenged her, she felt a strange sensation in her hand, before she looked down, watching as the data stream once more appeared.

Leon watched, his feet shifting backward a little, when a small white light appeared before the girl's neck, the chain lifting, before a keyblade appeared in her hand. Blinking in confusion, Leon lowered his blade, watching as the girl, who said she was named Kagome, lifted the keyblade up for her inspection. However, he wasn't sure if it was a true keyblade, since the Kagome  **he** _knew_  carried one that had a different design then a heart surrounded by what looked to be fangs at the end. No, the keyblade he'd seen for over a year at least twice a week had a crown, with two flat ends around them. No, these were two different keyblades.

Yuffie took a step back, noticing that the others had different colored data streams form over their necks, before a weapon appeared in their hands. It appeared that when threatened these people had a way to defend themselves. However, she was about to rush forward when Leon's blade moved in front of her, halting her movement. Her friend was gazing up at one of the shops to the left, and she looked over to see three figures gazing down at them, before they jumped.

The four of our hero's glanced to their left, taking notice of the woman who'd hit the ground, a duck looking creature at her right, and a dog looking creature to her left. However, her dark brown hair covered her eyes, while her hand twisted a strange looking blade within her hand. Her clothing radiated with its own energy, when suddenly a black creature formed before her, and her weapon sliced through it. Then, she lifted her eyes, and they were quite shocked at what they saw.

Standing before them… was a woman… who looked much like the Kagome they knew. The Kagome who was currently standing in front of them, her eyes widened with shock, while everyone else stared between them both, not quite understanding what was going on at the moment.


	4. Seeing Double

Sesshoumaru blinked in confusion at his Tokijin, which had suddenly formed in his hand. It was strange, since the sword had not been at his side a few moments ago. In fact, it couldn't have been at his side for he was wearing quite strange, yet strangely comfortable and nicely fitting, clothing on his person. His silken robes were gone, but the strange coverings he wore looked exactly like his robes when it came to the designing. The only thing different was the way it was made, since the fabric rubbing against him was obviously not silk, and yet that really didn't bother him. No, not since the material was quite nice against his form. The only thing that bothered him was the leg covering he was wearing. They were baggy like his robes, but they were made of a material he'd never encountered, and they felt strange when they rubbed against his legs. Then again, everything about this place was strange, and he had a slight pinch of panic flood through him, telling him to transform and begin destroying everything until they sent him back to the wide forests that he knew, until they returned him to his home, until they allowed him to go back and destroy Naraku. In fact, he was pretty sure that bastard had something to do with this.

Still, when the male talking before them challenged them by shifting into a battle stance, obviously not believing the miko when she said her name was Kagome. He couldn't understand it, since the miko had always gone by that name, so it was obviously her name. Why was it that this male suddenly went into an offensive stance when it was mentioned? However, something had happened, his hand had felt like it was tingling, before he glanced down to find that a weird stream of something was wrapping around his hand, and down long enough to be a sword, before… poof, his sword appeared in his hand. True, he did not care for any of the companions of Inuyasha, which from the smell were his current companions in this strange place, he did not know if they would be needed in order to return home. That was probably what caused his sword to return to his hand, though how it had done that was beyond his comprehension at the moment.

When he glanced up, he noticed that the miko held something even stranger in her own hand. The only weapon he'd ever seen her wield was a bow, and arrow, yet the thing she currently held looked somewhat like a blade, yet something else at the same time. He'd never seen anything like it, and obviously the miko was just as fascinated by it, since she was touching it lightly as if she'd never seen such a thing before. Strange, since the monk was holding what looked like a water container, while the taijiya suddenly held her giant boomerang; they both seemed ready to protect themselves. It was then the strangest thing he'd ever seen happened. Ever, in his entire life, nothing could compare to the moment when his attention shifted to three new scents, the glare of the weird lighting blocking the face of the womanly figures face.

The woman jumped from the building, along with her companions, a blade that looked quite like the one the miko held within her hand. He almost growled when a strange creature, black in color, began forming out of the ground without warning. However, the woman seemed ready for anything, and her blade sliced through it, causing a small heart like object to float up from its fading form. Whatever the creature had been it was dead, that was sure. However, his nose was at work, for the woman smelled quite familiar, just a little different, as if she'd been to many places, each one covering her original scent a little bit.

Shock overcame him when the woman raised her eyes, however. She was just as stunned, as they seemed, for her eyes grew wide, staring straight at the miko. Sesshoumaru, however, blinked his shock away, glancing briefly between the miko and this new… miko? Wherever they were, it was getting stranger by the minute. They woman before them, standing next to her strange companions, looked exactly like the miko before him, just a little older looking in the clothing she wore. The scent, however, told him, once he'd caught it completely, that something even weirder had just taken place. Whatever happened between that flash of light while he was fighting Naraku, and now, well, had resulted in two Kagome's.

Talk about seeing double. The only thing different was the clothing. Everything else about the two was exactly the same, from head to toe. Well, you couldn't actually tell about the toes, since both women were wearing shoes of some type, but the two 5' 6" women simply stared at each other. All right, they stared for about a minute, before they both stepped forward on instinct, coming to about five feet of each other, before they began examining each other. Their shock seemed to be getting stronger, for they acted as if they were long lost twins meeting for the first time. Their weapons were still in their hands, but they circled each other, before suddenly the one in red straightened herself, her keyblade swinging out to the side.

Goofy watched as Kagome's anger began to rise. His nose told him that the woman before his friend was not apart of Organization XIII, nor was she a nobody. No, her scent was exactly the same, just not as covered up. She was Kagome. However, the Kagome he knew and traveled with thrust her keyblade out to the side, causing the other woman to take a short step back. It was then Kagome began to talk to this strange woman standing before her, anger clearly written in her voice.  _Maybe I should tell her about the scent?_  He pondered this, before deciding that once a fight broke out he'd tell her. After all, they'd need to inform the King, instead of letting them fight it out to the death.

"Who are you?" Kagome growled. "Where did you come from? Did the Organization send you to mess with my head? If they did they've obviously done a crappy job, because you look nothing like me. No, you look like some common trollop, especially since you're walking around with that tattoo-ridden guy behind you! What," she grinned, "is he your lover or something? If he is, its obvious you're not even a good copy, since he looks like he could be beaten by even the smallest heartless I've ever encountered."

"Copy!" Kagome hissed. "Don't you dare call me a copy, you… you… whatever you are! I don't know who you think you are by snapping questions at me, but its obvious you're not  **me** , since I would have tried to take this conversation onto a more beneficial route, instead of popping questions that are kind of obvious. Besides, what the hell is this  _Organization_  crap? I've never heard of anyone with that name, nor an Organization who calls themselves that either."

She smirked, "Besides, that  _tattoo-ridden guy_ , as you called him, could rip out your throat without even trying. I wouldn't upset him, since he'd got a pretty nasty habit of melting pretty girls with his poison filled claws. Plus, you shouldn't be talking about his  **markings** , which I've always guessed he, as a youkai, was born with!" God, she could kill herself for the language that just came out of her mouth. However, after being with Inuyasha for as long as she had it wasn't very hard to learn a few things from him, and this girl before her had stroked her last nerve.

Kagome, the Kagome gripping her keyblade in frustration, yelled, "Youkai? Are you insane, or something? There's no such thing, unless you came from a world I've never been to! Besides, if he's from this world then he's obviously a nobody, and don't tell me you don't know what that it. It's so obvious you do, you tramp. You're probably all from the Organization sent here to destroy Hallow Bastion. I won't allow it!" As she raised her keyblade, her copy said something very strange.

"Hallow Bastion?" Kagome repeated. Something clicked in her mind, and she said, "I've heard of that!"

Lowering her keyblade, she raised an eyebrow, "You have?"

"Yeah," Kagome said, the game coming to her mind completely, "Its from a video game my brother has. Kingdom Hearts. Oh my, god." She glanced around them all, before her mouth fell open, "Something is sooo wrong here." She began pointing at people, before naming them off, "You're Leon, you're Yuffie, there's Cloud, Merlin, King Mickey, the Fairy Godmother, Cid, and a whole bunch of other characters from other worlds. Oh, and then there's the characters that help Sora in his quest to stop Ansem, Donald, and Goofy, who work for the King."

"You know of Kingdom Hearts…" Kagome whispered, her keyblade clattering against the ground as it slipped from her hand. She'd been searching for that door for so long now. What her copy said was very strange, for she was beginning to recount things she could remember from her quest before she was awoken from her strange sleep, coming back to find out that everyone had forgotten who they were. The door, however, was still fresh in her mind… if she could find that door then she could find her long lost love… "Tell me, do you know where Kingdom Hearts is?"

Kagome stopped, before tapping her finger against her chin, "Well, in the second game, Kingdom Hearts II, you find it through a strange portal in… uhh, Twilight Town, or something like that. I don't remember, exactly. It's a little vague, now that I think about it. However, my brother talks about it constantly."

Looking around, Kagome frowned, "Is this some type of virtual reality or something?" Her frown only increased when they began to shake their heads. Her confusion only rose when Goofy went to her doubles side, and said something about them smelling the same.

Sango watched with interest, her mind trying to figure out what was going on. However, she hadn't come to a conclusion yet until Kagome began talking about the game thing her brother played. What if…? Frowning deeper, she looked over at Miroku to see him lightly open the container thing he held, only to close it suddenly when it made a sound much like his uncovered wind tunnel, while wind was sucked inside ruthlessly. That didn't count the few things sucked inside, either. Still, her mind continued to tinker with the idea of what was happening, before noticing that the two Kagome's had suddenly started arguing again, something about this strange Kingdom Hearts place.

"You must remember where Kingdom Hearts is," Kagome yelled, "You must! I do not know of this Twilight Town you speak of. Perhaps you're brother was wrong. Maybe it was another world I've been to. Please, you must remember."

"I… I don't know," Kagome, replied, almost a silent whisper. However, she then raised her head, saying, "Tell me what's going on here and I might give you a little more information about my brother's game. I want to know where I am! Its obvious I'm not longer in feudal Japan, and it's also obvious that Naraku had something to do with this…"

"Iie, tell me of Kingdom Hearts," Kagome shouted once more. "I must know, I must find him!"

Gritting her teeth, Kagome returned the shout, yelling, "Who!"

Snatching up her keyblade, Kagome lunged at the strange woman who looked like her. When her keyblade clashed against the strange looking keyblade her copy held, she growled out, "I must find him. I must, I must! I must find him. Tell me where Kingdom Hearts is. I know he's still there. I know it. He promised me he'd find me, and he knows I'll be looking for Kingdom Hearts once more.  **He**  knows! He'll be there. Tell me the location of Organization XII, and Kingdom Hearts!" She flipped away, before swinging to clash her keyblade with the other woman's. It was strange, since the girl didn't look like she had once ounce of training, yet she was fighting pretty good.

"Tell me who you're talking about and I might be able to help you," Kagome said, instinct moving her limps. She held the blade with both her hands, before bringing her down to clash against the one her double held. However, her double twisted it, and her grip loosened, causing the blade to fly from her grasp. If this was some type of joke, and she was inside that stupid game, she was going to kill Souta, since this was not funny. What if she'd been dreaming the hold time, and then Souta did this to her? However, a strange tingling formed in her hand as her double pressed her blade against her throat. The tingling stopped just as her double said a name that made her blink.

"Tell me where I can find my dearest Sesshoumaru," Kagome said. Tears streamed down her face, sobs beginning to form in her chest. The entire group of strange people seemed to suddenly stop. "I know he," she glanced at their Sesshoumaru, "looks like him, but my Sesshoumaru does not have those markings. I have to find him before Organization XIII does and turns him toward the darkness once more, causing him to let go of his heart, and make him into a heartless I'll have to fight. I can't fight Sesshoumaru, not even if he were a heartless, with a nobody running inside Organization XIII. I couldn't, I'd die before I do."

"Sesshoumaru?" Kagome whispered, her arm moving on instinct once more. She slammed the newly formed blade in her hand against the woman's, knocking it from her hand. Her woman was still in tears, and she felt sorry for her, even when she pressed her blade to her neck, saying, "I don't know what you're talking about. Where I come from, Kingdom Hearts is a game, nothing but a child's entertainment. I don't know if this is real, or if it isn't, but whatever going on here needs to be fixed very soon, and I need to return to Inuyasha's side."

Sesshoumaru's confusion wore off, before he frowned deeply. He did not notice the figure that appeared on top of one of the building, but he did notice something very strange about this place. The other Kagome had called his name, which meant there was another him here as well. Then, the woman said, "You know Inuyasha?" which meant there was another Inuyasha here as well. In fact, there was probably an alternate version of all of them somewhere within this strange world. Opening his mouth, he spoke the words that he was thinking, "Miko, we're in an alternate dimension then our own, or so this Sesshoumaru believes after listening to your crying double. Naraku has tricked us."

Kagome turned toward him, saying, "What?"

"He's probably correct," came another voice. It was oddly familiar to Kagome's ears, since she'd heard it many times when she was younger and used to watch some of the old American cartoons with her father. And she'd heard the sound from the TV a few times while Souta played his favorite game. Turning toward it, she took in the mouse who was known as King Mickey.


	5. The Key

They were sitting inside this odd looking house, one that Yuffie had said belonged to Merlin, but the wizard was currently checking in with some Wizard Council. They sat around in chairs and on Merlin's bed, wondering what exactly caused a wizard to have so many books filling his house, when he could have just used magic to create some special chamber for them. Well, Kagome was thinking this, but she wasn't exactly what they the other's were thinking, or why Kagome X, the keyblade master, was glaring at her as the King continued to pace back and forth, while Sesshoumaru refused to sit with the rest of them, deeming himself higher in status then them. Why was she calling her alternate self Kagome X, you ask? Simple, her last name, though she continued to snap that she wasn't going to tell anyone what it was, started with an X, which was strange, since her own started with an H. It seemed that in Hallow Bastion she'd be called Kagome Higurashi, but in Japan she'd be called Higurashi Kagome. After all, her last name was more important then her first.

Mickey allowed his eyes to travel over the distant travelers, most of them obviously confused about everything, since from what Kagome, the one from their alternate universe, had said, she'd been five-hundred years in the past when she was captured by the strange portal's magic. So, these people would not understand their advanced technology, but no matter what happened they seemed to adjust a little, each one of them in their own way. Well, the futuristic girl might understand more about what's happening to her, since she'd fell down a well when she was fifteen years old only to meet a hanyou who instantly wanted to kill her when she released him. Yes, she was probably thinking this was starting to get old, fast, while the others' were merely hoping to find their way home soon. At last he allowed his pacing to stop, before gazing over each of the new members, "Well, it appears we must find this portal you speak of."

"To this Sesshoumaru it looked more like a vortex as you're sucked inside," Sesshoumaru spoke up; his voice strong and clear, filling the small space with ease. He merely turned his eyes so that he was staring at nothing in particular, deeming that these creatures were beneath him, thus beneath having him look at them for longer then he needed to. After all, they were but simple ningens' with strange and amazing weapons that could crush his entire army at the House of the Moon with a few swings. Most of them from this strange place known as Hallow Bastion were crackling with powerful magic, far more powerful then he'd ever seen. Still, as he thought about it, his eyes narrowed further, his fist clenching, they were not worthy of spending this much time in his presence without being crushed beneath his might.

Cid swung his chair around, the wheels creaking a little against the wood, as he reached up to scratch his blonde looking hair. This was all so hard to understand, and he was sure that Yuffie and Leon felt the same way, since he was currently staring at two, count 'em, two Kagome's, and apparently the double of the guy Kagome, their Kagome, continued to cry over, was standing over next to the door as if his royal ass as far greater then theirs. Sure, he was  _handsome_ , but he had looks too, and he knew that Leon had won the hearts of many females' over the years. Hell, even that bastard Cloud could be heard bragging about the latest chick he nabbed. Ah, who the hell was he kidding, the guy looked like a god.

Still, he continued to move his chair from side to side, glancing briefly at the towns defense system. Maybe he should warn Tron that there were new users in the city? Nah, it would just be a waste of his time, and he was sure that Leon had probably already done it. When he finally stopped, he watched as the King shook his head for a moment, before going back to his pacing, obviously trying to get rid of these guys as quickly as possible. He just had to say something, though; the moment was way to good to pass it by. "A strange looking vortex that sucks you into another dimension? Are we going insane here, people?"

"Do you doubt the word of this Sesshoumaru?" Sesshoumaru growled, turning his eyes toward the man. He watched as the man chewed on the end of a strange writing utensil between his teeth as he gave him an annoyed glance. However, Sesshoumaru was not one to be ignored and went to go forward, his claws on his only hand twitching, before the strange looking dog creature moved into his path. It only caused him to growl louder, pissed that this weakling thought he was superior to him in intelligence.

Goofy moved into the 'lords' path, before saying, "Now, now, we don't need a fight to break out between us. After all, Cid, we were not the one's who were sucked into a strange place, so we have no right to be saying that we know more about it then they do. After all, you've been suddenly taken from your home once before, too, and you should know how hard it is."

Cid snorted, leaning down until his face was settled onto his crossed arms. He watched the supposed inuyoukai turned his head, returning to the place he had been before, his face completely blank of emotion. He couldn't help but wonder how the hell that stick got stuck so far up that guy's ass. Maybe it was because he was this 'lord' the girl who claimed to be a miko had said he was; or maybe it was because he'd never been able to spend more then a day with another person, his mind to full of himself to think others were worth spending time with him.

"Hai," Leon nodded, "I must agree. Now is not the time for fighting. We should be helping one another instead of throwing comments that have no meanings."

"Sango," she replied once more, continuing her conversation with this Kagome X. Kagome-chan was sitting next to her, while Miroku was leaning against the strange furnishing these people had. When the keyblade master had asked her for her name once more, she merely nodded, allowing it to flow from her lips in an instant.

"Hm," Kagome replied, her eyes trained on the woman who claimed to be a youkai slayer where she was from. Her red clothing moved as she knelt back onto her elbows, before saying, "I know another woman by the name of Sango."

"You do?" Sango asked, blinking in surprise. Maybe that was her double, like Kagome's.

"Yeah, she lives in an underwater palace." Kagome X smirked, her lips turning upward as she watched the reaction at her words. Of course, it was Donald who'd made it possible to swim underwater, but the taijiya didn't know that as of yet.

"Underwater?" asked Kagome, looking over at her counterpart as she leaned further into the bed. It was strange since the bed was still covered in mostly books. She watched Sango's reaction as well, noticing that the elder woman blinked a few times, before asking how that was even possible. Of course, she was able to answer before Kagome X, saying the simplest little word, "Magic."

Kagome X nodded, her eyes closing for a moment, before she said, "She lives with her father, who's the king, and her six sisters', and her brother. Her mother died in a great battle against a band of sharks around fourteen years ago, but she's been able to get over it since then. She fell in love with a prince, one who walks on land. I believe his name was Miroku, but I'm not entirely positive, since I was told to stay out of the affairs of the world by her father. I just helped her defeat another witch that suddenly showed up around the time that I first went there. Her father was really angry when I decided to help get rid of that old witch, but that didn't bother me, since Sango was my friend."

Miroku shook his head, "See, Sango-san. Even in another dimension you are stricken by me. Why can't you just admit your feelings?"

Kagome giggled a little, turning her head to the side. She watched as her counterpart frowned in curiousity, obviously wondering what the hell was going on. She shook her head with laughter when Sango bashed Miroku's head into the ground, before turning from him. It seemed that no matter where they went, Sango was always going to hit Miroku for his constant nature. Though, sometimes she had to wonder when he'd just get sick of it and move on.

Once more Mickey glanced over at the travelers, blinking at the sight of an unconscious man, a fuming female, and the laughing key barer. Silence fell over the group as he began once more, "I believe I have seen something similar to what you have described, but it was not within this world. Iie, what I saw was within a normal, everyday, wizard's book. It stated that it moved people into dimensions' that their counterparts lived within. However, I've never heard of it actually working."

"It has to be here, or why else did they land here?" Yuffie asked.

"True," Mickey replied, nodding, "true. There must be another portal somewhere in Hallow Bastion. The book I remember stated that a person who traveled through it would be placed into another dimension, given a weapon that suits them the best, while only a chosen few were given a keyblade, or a dimensionkey, used to open and lock other portals. That way they were not transferred to a dimension they'd already been to. However, it also said that you could go through merely one, to six, or maybe twenty to one hundred dimensions' before you land yourself back into your own dimension. Now, you have the key, all you need is the portal."

"A portal that looks like a keyhole," Cid sighed. "This is getting ridiculous. What if they are from the Organization, huh? What if they suddenly destroy this whole place with a blink of an eye simply because we're allowing them to search for a portal that doesn't exist? I mean, come on people, they fell from the sky!"

Kagome X sighed, glancing at each of them. "It might sound insane, Cid, but I believe them."

"What?" he replied, shock clear in his voice, as he blinked repeatedly at the younger girl? It wasn't often that Kagome actually trusted something like this. Perhaps she'd gone insane. God, the insanity was just rising to its peak now.

Yuffie and Leon both nodded, before Leon said, "Hai. We believe they can be trusted. After all, what have they done to prove otherwise?"

Even King Mickey said he trusted them, which caused both his subjects to say so as well. However, King Mickey soon followed up with, "It does not matter at this point, Cid. The key around this Kagome's neck is proof that she is not apart of the Organization. This keyblade is special, only given to those who are pure and think about others thoughts and feelings more then they own. This keyblade would not have chosen her if she were from Organization XIII, therefore, she can be trusted with more then anyone else in this room."

Sesshoumaru flicked his eyes over toward the miko, a strange feeling touching his heart as he listened to this King's words. Why would he trust the miko more then anyone else? A simple weapon should not make that happen, yet it was clear in his voice that it was true, and it made the crazy situation seem more tense. However, he simply looked away, noticing the strange black cloud outside the window, which crackled with its own type of magic. He moved to look closer, narrowing his eyes, before calling to the others' attention.

Leon, Yuffie, and Cid went to see as soon as they heard, watching, as the black looking cloud seemed to grow. It was then that Kagome X stood, saying, "It's a cloud of heartless. A member of the Organization must be close by. They've been using the destroyed parts of the city to bring in an army of heartless, each of them weak in standards, but at numbers that could easily crush anyone in their path. It seems that whoever's here wants a fight."

Leon turned his head, his hair swinging a little in front of his eyes, before saying, "Do you think it might be Inuyasha who's leading them?"

"Possibly," she replied. "I wouldn't be surprised, since he threatened to destroy me the next time we meet. Not that he'd actually manage to do such a thing, but I guess that's his male ego talking again."

"Inuyasha," Kagome asked, her breath hitching in her throat?

Kagome X nodded, before saying, "Yup. He's apart of the Organization.A nasty nobody with an attitude that can't be matched, and he's got these really powerful fire attack. Probably why that cloud seems blacker then it should. He's probably burning something."

Cid shook his head, watching, as the others' seemed to suddenly get ready for battle. However, he merely turned back to the computer he'd had Merlin bring in, before beginning to type in for the systems defense to be on constant alert for any heartless. It might have only worked within the current boundaries of the city, but it worked very well. With the current insanity continuing to rise within that very room seemed to only lessen a little when they finally rushed outside to confront whatever was coming. However, he merely continued to type, knowing full well that once they returned the feeling would return and he'd be suffocated by the craziness of the entire situation.


	6. Everything Can Change

Inuyasha shook his head, clutching his sword to his chest as he recalled the events that had happened. Kirara mewed as Kaede wrapped her wounds once more; her body still filled with most of the poison that Hakudoushi had smeared over his dagger. It would not kill the small feline, but it stopped her from transforming into her larger form, and from healing quickly. He glanced over to see Shippo sniffling at the news that he'd brought, obviously not believing it, yet knowing he should, since even his elder brother was overcome by whatever Naraku had cooked up.

Kaede frowned, tightening the bandage until she heard the faint growl that the feline gave off. However, she paid little heed to it, knowing full well that the neko would not harm her. The wound was merely sore, and Kirara was letting out her frustration at the fact that it was not healed yet. However, she glanced at Inuyasha, seeing him sigh once more, before saying, "Tell me, Inuyasha, what did ye feel when ye brother disappeared?"

Blinking a few times, Inuyasha gave a short laugh, before chuckling, "That's a stupid question, you old hag! What did I feel? When he-? That's just rich. You really want to know, though? I bet you do, but I'm gonna tell you right now that you're not going to like the answer you're going to get."

Sighing to herself, Kaede gave him a stern look, before shaking her head. "I did not mean what ye felt because of the relationship you have, Inuyasha. I meant: did ye feel any sort of pain inside your deeper emotions. Your connection through your father should tell ye when your brother truly dies. If ye felt pain then they are truly gone, if ye felt anything else, then we should continue to hope until the very end."

"Pain?" he mumbled, thinking about it. No, he hadn't felt any pain. Now that he thought about it, he'd felt—he didn't know what he felt. "Iie, Kaede, I didn't feel pain. I felt… I-I felt something like a tingle. Not any pain, though."

She nodded, "Then we should hope for their safe return."

Shippo turned his head so that he could see the two of them through his watery eyes. He blinked a few times, before asking, "Does this mean Kagome-mama might still be alive?"

"Hai, Shippo-kun," Kaede said. She kept her voice soft as she talked to him, knowing that his heart was probably broken in more ways then one at the thought of his adoptive mother suddenly gone, when she'd been there only a few days before. She'd heard the story of how he'd had to watch as the Thunder Brother's destroyed the den his family had lived in, how they'd skinned his father alive while he stayed in the hiding place his mother had placed him. It would have been harder for him if Kagome were truly gone, for he'd already lost one set of parents, and the small group was like his second one.

He sniffled again, smiling a little, before nodding. He wiped at his eyes when he heard something about no more crying, and went to sit at Kaede's side. After all, when he leaned against the old woman she patted her hand against his head, silently telling him that there were others who also felt the pain of their loss. He couldn't help but feel his heart sting in pain once more, another sob hitching in his throat as he tried not to continue sobbing at the loss of his new mother. However, he still couldn't stop most of them from coming forth when he thought of never seeing Kagome again.

Inuyasha gritted his teeth. It was bad enough to see women cry, but kids' were worse because they usually did it just to get attention. However, he knew that Shippo merely wanted to see Kagome again, and he sighed, before mumbled, "Stop crying, Shippo. You heard the old hag; Kagome's probably fine, and hopefully will be back with us in a few days, maybe a couple of weeks. In that time we need to figure out a way to keep Naraku from taking over everything. And it's going to be harder now that Sango and Miroku are gone, as well. Argh." He brought his hand up, pulling his fingers through his bangs before gripping them in anger. He couldn't understand why this was happening now of all times.

"Naraku cannot rule Japan, Inuyasha." Kaede turned her back to the hanyou, beginning to stir the stew she'd began to make for dinner that day, right before Inuyasha had returned. So, now she was merely heating it again, since when Kagome disappeared, her bag went along with her, which also got rid of all the strange, yet very pleasing, food that she brought from the future.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes in thought, before saying, "Why?"

Kaede gave another sigh, knowing she needed to be patient when it came to Inuyasha. "Naraku is hanyou, Inuyasha," she replied. "Hanyou, as ye know, are split between their human emotions and their demon instincts on every decision they make. That is why they are shunned by both societies, and that is why they are hunted as if they are the weakest creatures within different family lines. However, others' do not understand that a hanyou has the strength of a youkai, while they have the emotions of a ningen, which can make them stronger then both sides of the playing field."

"Naraku, from what we've learned, has gotten rid of his ningen heart," Inuyasha said. "He is no longer torn between his ningen and youkai sides."

"Does not matter, Inuyasha," Kaede replied, "he is still hanyou. He will still be hunted. All ye have to do is get support."

"Support, ya old hag," Inuyasha growled. "Are you nuts? I think your age is starting to get to you, or have you forgotten that I am hanyou?" He pulled at his bangs harder, wondering why the hell Kaede was saying these things.

"Everything can change, Inuyasha," Kaede said, giving him another stern glare.

"What does that mean?" he growled.

Sighing, Kaede said, "Naraku has gotten rid of not only Kagome, Guardian of the Shikon no Tama, but the last of the Taijiya Clan, and the Western Lord. They might not think much of a hentai houshi, but Naraku cursed Miroku's line, and he could have been a great help in defeating him. Others will help ye, Inuyasha, if ye prove this to be true. Ye were there, Kirara was there, and I'm sure that Naraku will start telling others that because he has done this, that he is a full-youkai and that he should be the new ruler of the Western Lands, before becoming the Ruler of Japan. Inuyasha, should ye get the support of the Northern Wolves, the Southern Panthers, and the Eastern Dragons, then ye can get the support of all the lesser lords, and leaders. Everyone within the Western Lands will think ye should be the ruler, since ye are apart of the great Inu no Taisho's line. Naraku will not allow that, thus ye can gain the support and trust the others and take him down because he is hanyou.

"As I said, Inuyasha," she closed her eyes, tilting her head back, "everything can change."

"But, the panthers hate me. I've never heard of these dragons' who rule the east, and Ayame is the Princess to the Northern Lands, and she's in love with that bastard Kouga and wouldn't allow her grandfather to help me even if I needed it."

"Inuyasha, have ye not heard the old tale?" Kaede continued.

"What old tale?"

It was not Kaede's voice that answered the question, but Shippo's, as he began, "All the other sections of Japan owe a dept to the Western Lord because he ended the fight over who would be the next Lord of the East. They also owe him because he stopped the war that was happening when the sword, Sou'unga, came into existence. They owe him, and his line, but have yet to pay it. They haven't even paid his children, which is you, since Sesshoumaru, as Naraku will probably say, is dead in their eyes. They might have hope that he will return, but before then, they must pay this dept to you if you chose to want it.

"The Southern Lord tried to go against it, only to be killed in battle, because he was greedy and wanted the Western Lands for himself, saying that they'd been stolen by your father. Now, they owe you more then before. They owe you whatever you wish, and should you choose to merely make them listen, then they must," he ended, turning his eyes toward the floor.

Sighing, Inuyasha allowed his hand to fall into his lap, before saying, "I'll try, Kaede. I'll try, but I can't promise anything."

Kaede merely nodding in agreement, saying, "That's all we can hope for, Inuyasha." She stirred the stew some more, watching it carefully, knowing that soon it would be done and they could dig in, since she was sure that that was what Inuyasha would want to do before his journey. He'd always had a big appetite, but it had seemed to get bigger ever since Kagome brought her 'ninja' food from her time, along with sweets and many other things that they'd never have tried within their lifetime if it weren't for the young miko.

Shippo watched Kaede, before sniffling again. He turned his head so that he could see Inuyasha, before saying, "Yeah, and besides, Inuyasha, the Southern Lands will have to listen to you simply out of respect. After all, you do remember the time when they tried to resurrect their leader, don't you? The time they stole Kagome-mama because she had the shards?"

"I remember that." Inuyasha shifted again, allowing his eyes to settle on the kitsune as he spoke, since he'd need all the information he could get out of this. Especially if he was going to try and convince the other lords' and ladies that they needed to join together, something he knew hadn't happened in many centuries, to defeat Naraku. Now that Sesshoumaru, the strongest of the lords' was defeated, he was sure that they'd at least listen to him, but he wasn't quite sure on how he could get them to actually consider doing it.

"You and Sesshoumaru were the two who got rid of him once again. You fought together, and you showed them your Red Tetsusaiga, breaking their barrier in order to save Kagome-mama. They did promise to be back, but they also promised not to try and take over the Western Lands. Because you were there, they'll have to listen to you, because whether Naraku likes it or not, you are the Prince of the Western Lands, and with Sesshoumaru  _dead_ ," Shippo made little quotes with his fingers like Kagome used to do, "you become lord. However, its clear that Sesshoumaru isn't dead."

"Cause of the tingling, right?" Inuyasha asked, giving a small growl of annoyance at being told this again. He hated hearing about Sesshoumaru. What's worse, if Sesshoumaru was still alive, then he was with Kagome, protecting her, feeding her, nourishing her. Well, all right, his brother might only be protecting her because he might need her in order to return, but other then that he wasn't sure what Sesshoumaru would do when it came to Kagome, Sango, or Miroku.

"Iie," Shippo replied, "Inuyasha, because the Western Symbol hasn't appeared on your forehead. You are apart of your father's line, which makes you a prince, while your brother was considered lord when your father died. However, with Sesshoumaru gone you're considered lord until he returns. The fact that the blue crescent hasn't appeared on your forehead means that Sesshoumaru is still alive, just not here."

"Couldn't Naraku have gotten the symbol?" Inuyasha asked. This was even worse then thinking about Sesshoumaru with Kagome. The kit knew more then he did. Then again, Shippo had probably been told all this before his father died, since, from what he'd learned, Shippo's father had been apart of the Northern Council. It was only obvious the kit was going to know a lot about higher youkai societies. It was also shameful to admit that Shippo knew more about this then he did, though.

Shippo shook his head, "Not until you're dead, but you'd only have the symbol if Sesshoumaru was dead. Therefore, Naraku can't be the Lord of the West, and neither can you, because Sesshoumaru can return. It's his birthright, as well as yours. However, my old daddy told me that if such a thing should happen, well, another symbol could be made into a new symbol for one of the sections. Once the original symbol, the crescent, returns, though, the new lord would have to step down and fight for the right to rule."

"That's very interesting, Shippo-kun," Kaede mumbled. "So, there are many reasons as to why Naraku cannot rule Japan, or even the West. Very interesting, indeed."

Inuyasha shuddered a little, staring wide-eyed at the old woman wearing an eye patch over one eye, her body hunched over with old age. In her miko outfit she almost looked the part of a true village protector, but he wasn't worried about that. Never had he heard Kaede say 'indeed', and it kind of scared him, especially since her eye held a small tinkle he'd never seen before. Yes, it was getting stranger and stranger by the minute. "Argh, ya old hag, don't do that."

"Do what, Inuyasha?" Kaede replied, turning her head a little.

Turning his head away as if he wasn't interested, or fazed, in the least, he said, "Don't say that again. You sounded like my brother for a moment. And stop giving me that look, it's annoying as hell."

"Then perhaps ye should be on your way, Inuyasha," Kaede said. "After all, ye have a long journey ahead of ye."

Inuyasha felt his stomach turn at the idea, before suddenly it growled in response. A light blush covered his face, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since the afternoon before Kagome'd disappeared.

"Seems ye wish to eat first before ye go, hm?" Kaede chuckled. She picked up the wooden spoon lying close by, and began filling a bowl for young Shippo. However, when she went to give the bowl to the kitsune, Inuyasha's hand came into view, obviously hoping to get a bit before everyone else. Without much effort she turned the spoon onto the flat side, and wacked Inuyasha's hand, handing the bowl to Shippo, who in return snickered.

"Hey." Inuyasha cursed a few times, before continuing, "What the hell was that for?"

"Wait your turn, Inuyasha," Kaede replied. "Ye may have the rest of the stew after I have served Shippo-kun and myself. I know that you won't need it, since you could easily slice down a deer or boar for your meal, but it should last you until you reach the Dragon's Keep."

"The Dragon's Keep?" he replied.

"That's what they've called the Eastern Palace since the dragon's took over. Its located on a high cliff, but really easy to see once you reach the middle of the Eastern Lands," Shippo replied.

Another light blush covered Inuyasha's cheeks as he said, "I knew that." God that kid was starting to get on his nerves more then normal. Maybe, since Kagome was gone, he should knock him a good one. Which, as soon as Shippo put down his bowl in order to wipe his mouth with his sleeve, was what he did, causing the kit to fall over, tears forming in his eyes once more.

_Whack._

"Ouch, ya old hag."

"Don't hit Shippo-kun, Inuyasha."

"Screw you!"

"Kaede-sama, it hurts."

"Oh, come here, let me bandage that cut on your forehead."

"Hey, what about my food."

Kaede sighed, before saying, "Either ye play nice, Inuyasha, or go find something to hunt."

"Feh, fine," he replied, "its not like I needed your crappy stew, anyway."

"Don't say such vulgar things in front of young children, Inuyasha."

_Whack._

"Ouch!"

Shippo watched as Inuyasha stormed out of the hut, while Kaede continued to bandage the small cut on his forehead, wiping the blood away as it began to heal itself. He listened as Inuyasha grumbled about 'stupid old hag's and wooden spoons', before turning to Kaede fully. "Do you think he'll be back soon, Kaede-sama?"

"I do not know, Shippo-kun. I suspect he'll be back soon enough, though, since he never was one for eating anything he hunted. In fact, before Kikyo had sealed him away on the God Tree, he would only eat about a fourth of anything he hunted himself, before leaving the rest for any wandering, hungry, creature." Kaede shook her head, listening to the sounds of the village as they continued on with the day, before finishing her small bandage over Shippo's cut, knowing full well it would heal within a few minutes. However, he was only a kit, he needed to know that others cared enough to try.

oOo

"Where are we going?" Kagome called. She watched as suddenly Kagome X stopped next to the group of what looked to be skateboards, before grabbing one and shooting off.  _Well, so much for an answer_ , she thought, rolling her eyes as she continued to run after her. She'd never learned how to ride a skateboard and she sure as hell wasn't going to try. She watched as only Goofy and Donald grabbed the others before shooting off after the girl they traveled with, while she ran close by Sango, slightly glad her pants were baggy.

This was a waste of time, but he continued to pace beside the ningen, knowing full well that he could have been on the battlefield long before now, but knowing that he had no idea where he was going. He glared at them all, wondering why he hadn't sliced them down by now, but also wondering if he needed them in order to find his way home. Apparently he needed the miko, or he could end up searching throughout many dimensions', most of which he'd probably already been to. Without that key looking blade she carried he would be running around in endless circles, only hoping that he didn't go back to a dimension he'd already been to. As much as he hated to admit it, he might need them. Especially since the miko, from what he'd concluded and heard, was from the future and this dimension had been nothing but a child's game. Yes, she'd be much more help then he wanted to admit, simply because she might know more about the dimensions' they ended up in.

Kagome X swerved the skateboard, before placing her foot on the back, causing the front end to rise off the ground. "Come on, your going to miss the fun," she called, before turning, and placing her foot on the ground in order to push off. She traveled down a path of stairs, before coming to a narrow pathway, where she waited for the others.

Miroku glanced around the strange place once they arrived, before biting the inside of his lip out of habit. He'd learned it from Kagome, but that wasn't what worried him. No, it was the man dressed in black that he could see through a gap just ahead. The man didn't possess silver hair like he would have thought, but black hair, much like when Inuyasha turned ningen on the night of the new moon. The man was around the right height, and when he turned he saw that his eyes were amber in color, telling him that though the man might have looked different it was obviously Inuyasha. Especially from the cocky smirk that formed on his lips as they raced out onto the platform like ledge.

"King Mickey," Kagome X called when the King launched himself up onto the side of the ledge, before running forward. A golden keyblade had formed in his hands, and she shot her hand to the side in order to bring hers into existence, before facing off with Inuyasha once more. After all, it'd been a while since they'd tangled with each other, probably not since the time…

"Don't worry," Mickey called, "I'll slow down the rest of the heartless. You get rid of him."

The others nodded, watching as Yuffie, and Leon jumped to go after the King. Sango went to step forward, when a silent barrier went into place, blocking both Kagome's inside with this new person, while the others were pushed backward when the barrier widened. She growled, feeling the tingling feeling she got in her hand when her Hiraikotsu formed on top of her open hand, before she slammed it against the barrier. It was a dirty trick, and she wasn't about to let this strange man separate her from her friend.

Miroku's hand settled onto her shoulder, as he said, "Its useless, Sango-san. Let them handle it, I'm sure they'll be fine." He knew that Sango would do anything in order to get to Kagome, but he wasn't about to let her hurt herself, thus he tried to calm her mind, so that she might stop her assault on the barrier. Even from merely touching it he could tell that it was powerful enough to keep everyone but the challenger and his opponents out.

"But, Miroku—"

"We must allow Kagome to do this on her own. After all, she is strong enough to protect herself without us," Miroku cut her off.

Sighing, Sango nodded, before turning her worried eyes onto her friend. She watched as Kagome X thrust her keyblade out to the side, yelling about how the time had finally come, but the man before her merely glanced at them both in mild confusion. It was obvious to her that he hadn't quite seen something like this, and it was probably messing with his head.  _Good, he deserves it, since he wasn't man enough to fight us all at the same time, instead of singling us out,_ she thought, a smirk forming on her lips.

His eyes narrowed, a strange scent filling his nose as he turned. He growled suddenly, watching as strange looking creatures dressed in dancing robes formed on the spot. They seemed to be small white bits of mist before they took form, each one of them twitching strangely, tilting their body back and forth. He heard the sound of crumbling stone, before turning his head so that he could see the man named Leon as he called down to them, his voice telling him that he knew he had no idea what these creatures were.

"They're called nobodies. Dancers, I believe," Leon called, his large blade coming forth as he attacked another set of shadows, all of them much larger then their original form. It was obvious the heartless were growing in power, but they were easily sliced down with a good swing. "You just got to watch out for their sneak attacks, but other then that their pretty much target practice for anyone who's fought them before."

Sesshoumaru was not impressed, merely raising his claw in front of his chest, before slicing his index and middle fingers through the air as if it could be cut. His acid whip formed on his claws, and he sliced through each of them with ease, watching as they disappeared with little more then a silent scream. He glanced back up at Leon, watching as he sliced through the last creature he was fighting, before turning his head to watch as the three people inside the barrier conversed with each other.

"Wow," Leon mumbled, silently curious about how the 'youkai' had done that. It was certainly nothing like he'd ever seen, and he was almost thinking about asking the strange traveler to teach him how. It would sure come in handy, but as he watched the emotionless man turn away from him, he knew it wasn't the best idea, least he get his head cut off.

"So, Inuyasha," Kagome X called out, "you've finally decided to show yourself. And here I was beginning to believe you were a coward."

Inuyasha glanced between them, before saying, "Reina—"

"Stop calling me that!" Kagome X hissed. "I'm not that damned nobody you knew anymore. I'm whole!"

" _Kagome_ ," he replied. Once more he glanced between them both, "Strange. I would have thought you wouldn't have gone, as far as to clone yourself, Kagome, but it seems you have proven me wrong. Hm, I wonder if this clone is as good at fighting as you are, or if it will fall as easily? Perhaps we should find out."

"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered, her lips dry. This was not the Inuyasha she knew, she had to remember that, but it was just so hard to believe that he was standing before her. Sure, he was from a different dimension, but he was still Inuyasha, wasn't he? Surely he wouldn't try and hurt her. What if he did, though? What would she do if he decided that she was nothing and merely sliced her down like everything else she was sure he'd slaughtered?

"Ah," he smirked, "the clone speaks, does it? Amazing." He thrust his hand to the side, a round, metal, weapon forming in his hand. Almost instantly it caught fire, while he swung it back and forth. "Perhaps I should see if it screams as well."

"You leave her be, Inuyasha," Kagome X called. "This is between me and you." She pointed her keyblade toward him, ready for battle, her muscles tensing at the thought of having to not only fight Inuyasha, but also protect her counterpart. After all, she wasn't sure if her instincts would allow her to go against this person, since from what she'd been told, Inuyasha was someone her dimension  _buddy_  traveled with. She might not have the heart to help her defeat the Inuyasha she knew, and fought with.

 _Scream, huh, I don't think so,_ Kagome narrowed her eyes, her hand tightening into fists. However, she loosened her right hand, summoning her keyblade without much thought, telling herself that she wouldn't allow another Inuyasha to bully and slice her down with words. It seemed that he'd always be cocky, and perhaps he loved Kikyo in this dimension, too, but that didn't matter to her. She wasn't a clone, she wasn't a copy, she was Kagome. She wasn't going to scream for anyone. It seemed that though things could change, like her counterpart loving Sesshoumaru and hating Inuyasha, he had not, at least not in this dimension. Perhaps in another one he might be kind and sweet, but here he was nothing but a jerk. She'd show him.

She watched as his black hair flew toward the west, his eyes trained upon her weapon as she raised it toward him. "Inuyasha. I won't allow you to treat me as a copy like you do where I come from. I am Higurashi Kagome, and I will not allow you to think otherwise."

"What is that?" he hissed, staring at her keyblade.

Kagome X smirked, "The dimensionkey was what King Mickey called it. We haven't been able to truly test it out, yet. Would you like to be the one who gets to be the target for it, Inuyasha?"


	7. The Great Wizard, Merlin

Kagura twisted her fan, easily tossing it up into the air before catching it back into her hand. She couldn't help it, she was bored beyond reason – she was… was… she didn't know what else she was because she couldn't think of anything because she was so bored. So, she sat near Hakudoushi, who continued to stare at the same wall of the cave Naraku had ordered them to stay within, while she merely tried to block out his presence. Being with him for so long was frustrating, and she needed some air. That stupid boy was connected to Naraku, though, and should she try to escape to  _talk_  with Inuyasha then she'd probably end up getting her heart squeezed, her body falling to the ground in pain.

She tossed the fan again, before allowing her fingers to wrap around it when it came falling back down. She didn't truly understand why Naraku had placed them there, since there was no reason. She'd always said it, Sesshoumaru would be the one to defeat Naraku, he was the only one strong enough, but Sesshoumaru was now gone. What was Naraku so worried about that he'd once again hidden his heart? Of course, the infant had nearly been destroyed, which in turn had caused Hakudoushi to absorb it back into his body, which made him Naraku's heart. To bad Inuyasha didn't know that, his newest ability with Tetsusaiga could have easily destroyed Hakudoushi. What was it called again…? Oh, it wasn't as if she cared, at least, not as long as she wasn't at the striking end of it. It'd still done a number on Naraku, though.

Locked in her thoughts, Kagura missed the fan the next time she threw it, before listening as it clattered against the ground. She sighed, before picking it up, tucking it into her kimono, watching the albino turn his head toward her. She knew for a fact he was still slightly angered with Naraku's plan, since he hadn't been able to get a piece of Sesshoumaru after he destroyed Entei. That was entirely his own fault, though, so he really couldn't blame Sesshoumaru that his attack was aimed at the stupid fire-breathing beast.

"Kagura, stop that nonsense. It is more annoying than having to listen to you speak," Hakudoushi said, his tone usually even. He never seemed to show any emotion besides sick pleasure, and… and… well, nothing really. He seemed to know about these emotions, all of which were rarely seen, or heard from. Kagura found this annoying.

"Can you blame me?" Kagura replied. "Your company isn't actually pleasing, either. Sitting here watching you stare at a wall was not what I expected to be doing after Naraku got rid of the only beings in this entire land that might have been able to destroy him. But now, he chose me to watch you."

"He chose me to watch you, Kagura," Hakudoushi commented, turning his head away. "He does not trust you, and for good reason. I know of your desire to be free, but only when Naraku is dead will that happen. However, when Naraku dies we all will die with him. How will you be free then, when your soul is apart of Naraku's?"

"I will be dead," Kagura, hissed, "I will not care."

"Yet you continue to think once you are dead you will be free. Yet you fear death itself, Kagura. If you say you will not care, why do you care now?" Hakudoushi smirked. Turning his head so that he could see her, he said, "You continue to forget that I can hear your thoughts, Kagura. You cannot hide these things from me. Just as you cannot hide the fact that you lusted after the taiyoukai, Sesshoumaru, yet you decided to ignore your feelings until you were free. Now he is gone, and you wish it were different because you had such high expectations of him. You believed he'd defeat Naraku, yet Naraku defeated him—"

"Naraku used trickery!"

"—Do you think that matters, Kagura of the Wind? Iie, it does not." Hakudoushi shifted himself so that he was completely facing Kagura, his eyes burning with the knowledge he held. "Sesshoumaru, Mighty Shiro-Inu, was defeated either way. He shall not be back. Besides, he was not the one Naraku feared, but the girl."

"The miko?" Kagura asked.

"Hai, the miko girl, Kagome, was the one Naraku feared. Perhaps if you had thought of that you would have seen that Naraku wished to have her, yet decided to obtain his ultimate goal more than that of pleasure. He killed her because he feared her. He feared her power, and he feared the fact that he wanted her, even though his heart was no longer inside of him. I know this because, as you know, I am his heart. I know what he wants and what he doesn't. I know everything about Naraku, while you know nothing. That is why you continued to place your faith in Sesshoumaru, even though he was not the one who would have ended Naraku's life in the end," Hakudoushi replied, blinking once afterward.

Kagura once again narrowed her eyes, "Why are you telling me this, Hakudoushi?"

Hakudoushi smiled, coldly, "Because, the information will not be anything you can actually use in a few days. Don't you understand, Kagura, why Naraku put us here? I do not feel anything except what he feels, therefore I do not care, but I suspect that you would. You, Kagura of the Wind, will care that within a matter of days Naraku will reabsorb you, simply because he will remix your power with his own. He no longer needs you. He only needs me, and Kanna, for I am his heart and Kanna is his eyes to the outside. He doesn't need any of the other attachments he's released. Especially you, with your plans to overthrow him, to become free – you will never be free, Kagura, just as the rest of us will never be free, face it."

Realization dawned on her, and her narrowed eyes widened until she was staring at the albino for the first time. "But he will reabsorb you once he no longer needs you. You do care. You wish to live, don't you, Hakudoushi? We might be attachments, but we are still breathing, living, only attached to Naraku still because he holds something of ours. He holds my heart, he holds Kanna's soul, and he holds… holds your willpower; he controls you by chaining down any will you might have so that you don't try to go against anything he does or says. But you don't wish for him to, do you, Hakudoushi?" Seeing the albino fist his hand, she continued, "You wish to be free, like I do. You have tasted the sweet nectar that is life, and you wish to continue to live it. Yet you know that Naraku will never allow it. You know that he won't let you simply live in his shadow for you know his secrets. He'll destroy you in the end as well, won't he, Hakudoushi? But you wish to continue living…"

"Shut up," Hakudoushi hissed, his eyes flaring. "Naraku will not destroy me, I am his heart. He needs me in order to stop though who destroy his body from destroying him completely, because his heart will still beat. He needs me. He will not absorb me again, which makes you wrong, Kagura."

"You are the one who is wrong, and you know it, Hakudoushi. You know that you are merely a puppet like the rest of us. We are merely tools, Hakudoushi. Like you said,  **face it**. You wish to live, but you know that you will not. That is why you told me those things. You know that in the end Naraku will absorb us all into his body, taking away the only life we ever knew. Hell, Hakudoushi, we might have had real lives at one time, but Naraku sucked us into his body in order to create a figure that looked ningen, before creating us. We might have once been truly alive, and you know it. You know it, because you've seen the way Naraku actually, truly, created us, because, like you said, you are his heart. Yet you do not wish to be.

"Just as I wished Sesshoumaru might kill Naraku, you secretly wished that Kagome would do the same. Well, now they are both gone, Hakudoushi. What will you do now? Will you simply continue to act as if Naraku will keep you alive simply because you hold his heart within you, or will you try to kill him yourself? Wait, you know that would never work because you are Naraku, Naraku is you. He would know your plans before you even tried to act upon them, which would end the life you now have, wouldn't it, Hakudoushi?"

"Shut up! Shut up!"

" **Wouldn't it**?" Kagura hissed.

Hakudoushi gripped his head, shaking it, before crying out, "Shut up! Shut up! I don't believe you! Naraku needs me! I will live on! I will! I will!"

Kagura nearly grinned, but turned it into a deep frown, before turning her nose up a little bit to keep herself from showing her glee. She'd managed to make the boy see the light, almost. "Where is my heart, Hakudoushi?"

"Iie," Hakudoushi whispered, "Iie. Naraku will know. He will know. I cannot, no."

"Where is my heart, Hakudoushi? With my heart I can turn against Naraku, for I will no longer be apart of him. I can help Inuyasha in his quest to defeat Naraku. Where is my heart? Where is Kanna's soul? Where are they, Hakudoushi?"

"Iie, I'll be alone," the boy whimpered. "Iie, iie. I don't want to be alone. I don't want to be alone."

"Where is my heart and Kanna's soul, Hakudoushi? Where are they?" Kagura pressed, continuing to watch the boy shake his head. "With them I could break whatever spell Naraku has over you; Kanna and I could. We could free you, and then we could leave this land, searching for a new one to call home. All of us, together; you would not be alone. Never, my brother."

"Not alone?" Hakudoushi asked, glancing up at her.

Kagura shook her head, "Iie, my brother. You shall never be alone. Should you help me by giving me my heart and Kanna's soul we shall free you, Hakudoushi. We could free you, and then you would not be alone."

"Your heart…? Kanna's soul…" Hakudoushi whispered.

Kagura almost thought that she'd merely gotten the boy to realize what items she wanted. However, Hakudoushi pulled something out of his haori, something that made her nearly leap with joy. In his hand was a small vase, which, from what she heard, held something that continued to thump against the edges, making it echo, "thump, thump… th _ump_ ,  _thump_ …" In his other hand he held a another vase, this one with a lid over the top, the markings on it telling her that the magic had long since been placed. When she reached out, though, the second vase broke open, a white mist like shape floating out of it, before shooting out of the cave they were within, while the other one cracked apart, before the vase fell apart and her heart was laying in Hakudoushi's hand. When she reached for it, however, the boy suddenly held it to where his own heart lay, before glancing up at her.

"You must return to the old castle. The one Naraku used before he rested at Mount Hakurei. Within the chamber he used to regenerate his body you will find another infant. You must kill this infant, Kagura. You must slice it to tiny, tiny pieces with your wind attacks, and have Kanna suck the soul from it. Once you do this, another figure will appear, it shall look much like those wooden dolls that Naraku craves in order to control his demon puppets. When you destroy this wooden figure I shall be free. I shall move away from this place until then, and I shall rid Naraku's heart from myself, hiding it in a place he will know of and search for. Then I shall no longer be connected to Naraku, and we shall all be free," Hakudoushi said, his voice little more than a whisper, almost like he was afraid Naraku himself would hear what they were saying.

Kagura touched his hand, taking her heart from him, "I promise to free you, my brother." She stood, placing the heart to her chest, feeling it sink into her through her clothing and flesh, before there was a bright red flash, and she found herself flying away from the cave, Hakudoushi watching her from the entrance, an evil smirk on his face.

Hakudoushi turned from the sight, before saying, "Hai, Kagura, do my bidding. Sever my connection with Naraku. Once you do, I will no longer need you. It's too bad you won't know until it's to late. The only sister I need is Kanna, since she is as dark as I am." Smirking wider, he knew that he'd deceived the wind witch when he'd brought her to this place. Naraku had ordered them to stay in his newest castle, but he'd returned the word to Kagura that they needed to travel to a cave. This cave was one of the few places Naraku could not know what he was doing because it had been blessed by a holy man, which was exactly why he would be surprised when he learned that Kanna, and Kagura were free from his grip, and he would soon be as well.

Turning to look toward the sky, he said, "It is also to bad you will never know this was Kanna's plan. I guess she never thought of you as such a great sister, either." Rearing his head back he began barking with laughter, his body ready to begin removing Naraku's heart from himself. Naraku would never know, and would probably never find it since he didn't know where he was. To bad for him, but he wasn't going to give up on life just yet.

oOo

She swung her keyblade, slamming it against Inuyasha's weapon as fire suddenly engulfed her. She didn't know exactly what happened, but suddenly the fire was gone, and the blade in her hands was glowing, his fire being redirected toward her left. Her counterpart flipped away from him around the same time she did, before they once again gripped their blades, rushing toward him from both sides. Kagome frowned; watching as this black haired Inuyasha suddenly brought both his strange weapons out to his sides, both spinning at spins unknown. It didn't bother her when fire once more came at her, but she had to stop from the heat of getting to close, before swinging her blade again, redirecting the fire away from her and toward the barrier, where it seemed to vanish.

Inuyasha smirked, seeing his opportunity, before running forward. Both Kagome's were, by then, putting a stop to his attack, but he turned, running toward the original Kagome he knew, the one that took away his friend, Reina when they became one again. He heard the copy yell something, but managed to slice his blades across her back, giving her nasty wounds, and knocking her to the ground.

Kagome X hissed, turning to see her double suddenly come at Inuyasha. The nobody wasn't exacting it, and had to turn suddenly, bringing his blades up to block. Grinning, she watched as her double put more weight into her attack, pushing Inuyasha back a little, before her keyblade glowed once more. She narrowed her eyes, watching as quite suddenly the blade took on a golden glow. A shield surrounded her double, before she caught the end of her blade inside Inuyasha's weapon, knocking one of them away from him when she changed her attack and brought her blade up at an angle.

Kagome jumped backwards, looking over at her fallen counterpart briefly. Her clothing had changed from the red ones she'd been wearing from when they'd met, to a black pair. However, that didn't concern her, as she turned her attention fully onto her current opponent. "I might be new at this, but I know that you should never underestimate an opponent, no matter who or what they are. Perhaps you should try and learn that as well, Inuyasha."

"Shut up, stupid wench," Inuyasha growled. He glanced toward his other weapon, before glancing back toward the bitch in front of him. Narrowing his golden eyes, he saw her take a slight step toward his weapon, obviously trying to close the gap between him and his weapon, stopping him from using both. Growling deeper, he flipped a lock of his black hair over his shoulder, before bringing his only blade out in front of his. The circle was easily spun on his fingers, before he wielded fire to spring to life upon his fingertips, shooting it out like a horizontal tornado.

Getting to her feet, she watched as the newly formed ash and smoke began clearly away from her double. She smirked when she saw that her double had merely raised her blade out before her, the golden barrier once more surrounding her. She heard Inuyasha give another growl of annoyance, before testing her legs, since her back still burned a little, even though the hole in her clothing has already healed. Once sure that she could walk, she gripped her keyblade with both hands, shifting into a sideway stance, before beginning to run forward. Her eyes lowered against the wind, before lifting her keyblade up into a better attack position, watching Inuyasha's back as he got ready to rush at her double.

Sighing, Kagome said, "I would have thought you'd learned that's not going to work against me. I don't know why, exactly, but maybe you should try something new for once."

"Fine, try this on for si—" the air left his lungs as the other Kagome slammed against his back. He found himself flying forward, the Kagome in front of him stepping out of the way as he hit the ground, rolling over into a painful position that nearly broke his neck in the process as he did. After that he rolled on his side before he landed on top of his weapon, the spike where he held it digging into his side. Hissing, he rolled onto his back, his hand dropping his other weapon while he watched both Kagome's begin advancing on him. Narrowing his eyes, he placed his hand on the ground, ready to open up a portal of darkness when he needed it.

"Are you going to run away, again, Inuyasha?" Kagome X asked. A nobody usually ran away whenever they lost. That was the only good thing about heartless, and mindless nobodies, they didn't run away until you destroyed them completely. Of course, that was what they wanted, to destroy you, and they were so controlled by their instincts that they continued to try until they were destroyed, the heart turned in order to create them leaving their body.

"I didn't run away last time," Inuyasha hissed.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that," she replied, watching as a black, swirling, portal opened up underneath him. She watched as he began sinking into it, before he was gone, the barrier around them falling in the same instant.

Kagome glanced at her, "Why don't you ever jump into the portal after them?"

"It's to dangerous," Kagome X replied. "I don't know where the portal leads. I just know that wherever it is that's where I need to go. I'll probably find Sesshoumaru there knowing my luck. He's probably trying to stop Kingdom Hearts from being opened again, and I also know that they're after Kairi as well. Well, at the moment she's safe with a few friends of mine, so I don't have to worry for the moment, at least."

"Kairi?" Kagome asked.

Kagome X nodded, "Mmhmm. She's one of the three friends I had on the island we used to live on. There were four of us, Sesshoumaru, Kairi, Kikyo, and myself. Kikyo went missing, I don't know what happened to her; Sesshoumaru was locked inside Kingdom Hearts the last time we fought the person we thought was Ansem. We found out later that it was not actually Ansem, but his apprentice just using his name. Kairi was almost taken by Inuyasha; she's one of the seven princesses' that had been needed in order to open Kingdom Hearts the first time. And then there's me, but I'm standing here and now."

"That's kind of obvious, isn't it?" Kagome laughed, before having the breath knocked out of her when Sango launched herself onto her side, nearly knocking her off her feet. She noticed that Miroku was congratulating them on a job well done, while Sesshoumaru merely snorted, looking around with little interest. It didn't bother her, so she didn't say anything.

It was then that Yuffie appeared on top of the ledge, yelling, "Hey, guys, Merlin's returned from the Wizard Council! He's waiting for us at the house! Leon and Cloud had managed to maintain the current army of heartless heading this way! Leon said that you'd better prepare for another battle, though, since Cloud said he sensed Sephiroth was in the area! Don't ask me how! Anyway, Leon also said that we'll have to  _take out_ ," she made quotes with her fingers, "some of the heartless before their numbers get any bigger! Ah, I think that's about it, just come back whenever you're ready!"

Kagome X waved her hand in understanding, before turning to the others. "What are we waiting for, Christmas?"

"Christmas?" Sango blinked. "Oh, right! Kagome-chan told us about that once. She even brought us gifts and everything."

Kagome X laughed, "Well, come on, Merlin will be waiting for us!"

Sesshoumaru turned his head toward the opening at the far end. He narrowed his eyes, their superior vision catching sight of a blue figure, a wing, and a glinting sword. However, that was all he saw before the figure seemed to have vanished. He narrowed his eyes, feeling the aura of the strange being, knowing that he'd have to test the strength of this new person. Perhaps the person he'd just seen was this Sephiroth male that the others had spoken of. Perhaps he'd be a worthy opponent, since he'd yet to find one while inside this new dimension.

oOo

"Ok," Kagome X said, standing against the door, "Merlin's the helping type. He… he likes to be mysterious, telling you things that really don't help you at the moment, but makes sense once they happen. So far he's done nothing to help me, exactly, but he has helped me learn more of my magic, so I guess that's kind of helpful. Anyway, if he tries to help you, you're not allowed to hurt him, in any manor, or… kill him." She glared over at Sesshoumaru, remembering what her double had told him about him, before seeing him roll his eyes, "Hey, don't roll your eyes at me. Promise, mister, or I won't let you inside."

"This Sesshoumaru shall not harm the wizard," Sesshoumaru replied, glancing toward the shadowy creature hiding not far away. He knew that the house, Merlin's home, was protected by powerful magic that stopped the shadow creatures from hearing, seeing, or sensing anything inside, but it was still slightly disturbing that they just came out of nowhere, even when a shadow wasn't present.

Accepting this, she said, "Good." Turning around, she twisted the knob of the door, before saying, "Just be prepared. The place is going to be even more packed than it was earlier." She laughed, before moving inside, yelling out a greeting, which was replied by the ones inside. She took notice that Cloud was leaning against a nearby wall, Cid was nowhere to be seen, Leon was typing away at the computer's keyboard, Yuffie was sitting on Merlin's table, and Merlin was halfway inside his endless bag, which held everything, or so she believed.

"Hey," Cloud replied, glancing at them. He noticed how this counterpart that Leon had warned them about was staring dumbly at him, almost looking as if she'd start drooling all over the place. He wasn't usually one to pay attention to these things, but he smirked a little, watching, as she seemed to melt in her skin.

Kagome X looked at Cloud with confusion written deeply into her eyes. Glancing back, she saw that her double was staring, quite rudely, actually, but Cloud didn't seem to mind. Hearing her giggle like an idiot, she shook her head, grabbing the girl by the sleeve, before dragging her away from the older male, dressed in all black. Stopping next to the bed, she pushed her double down until she was sitting there, staring dumbly at the wall across from her. The lovesick smile on her face made her look a lot like a blushing fan girl, but she couldn't blame her. She would have probably done the same thing if Cloud had ever done such a thing when they'd first met. They'd met under different circumstances that weren't something she wanted to talk about at the moment, since he'd been working for Hades at the time.

Sango glanced at the male, shaking her head, before moving over to Kagome watching as she brought her hands up in front of her face, clasping them together as if she were daydreaming. "Kagome-chan," she waved her hand in front of her face? "Kagome-chan, are you alright?"

Kagome gave a soft gasp, "Oh my, god. It was Cloud! Really, truly, Cloud! Ah!"

"Do you know Cloud, Kagome?" Kagome X asked, smirking over at the blonde. She watched him smirk back, before glancing at the others. Leon had twisted in his chair, obviously wondering what was going on, before shaking his head and turning back to his computer; Yuffie was giving a knowing smile, shaking her head in understanding; Merlin was still digging in his bag; Miroku seemed to be confused; Sesshoumaru seemed to not care, but she did see the slight glare he gave Cloud, but she knew it was probably for reasons they wouldn't understand.

Kagome sprang up; shoving her face into Kagome X's, saying, "Know him? Oh no, I don't know him, but I wish I did! My brother has all the Final Fantasy games and I just had to play all of the ones that had Cloud in them! I even had him come get me whenever he was playing Kingdom Hearts and Cloud or Sephiroth was on the screen! I love Cloud! Who couldn't? But that's not really something I should say since he's standing in the room and he doesn't even know me! Oh my, god, I just said it!" She blushed brightly, "Oh, who cares? None of you do! Cloud's the greatest! I used to wish while I was watching my brother play that I could just jump in the screen and drag Cloud back out so that I could use him as my sla—Ah… you don't need to know that!

"I loved Sephiroth, too! He's awesome! Especially in Kingdom Hearts!" Kagome gave another dreamy stare, before falling back onto the bed, her gaze everywhere but on someone. Had she just said all that? God, she needed to learn how to keep her mouth shut about something she was so passionate about. Really, she'd nearly said she wanted Cloud as her slave, and he was standing in the room. Then again, she'd be gone soon enough, so why did she care? She just did, that's why; that was also why she turned a dark shade of red, the blush rushing down her neck and into her clothing, possibly making her breasts blush as well.

Leon shook his head, "Seems like you have an admirer, Cloud?"

Cloud turned his head to stare at the other man, before saying, "It was amusing, wasn't it? At least the girl's passionate about something from wherever she's from. Though, it was slightly disturbing that I was the main reason for the out burst."

"Sephiroth, too," Leon replied. "Wonder what he'd think if he found out he had an admirer as well."

"He'd probably cut her head from her shoulders if she couldn't keep up with his speed and abilities," Cloud replied, his tone dark and dangerous.

Merlin, having stood from his bag, said, "Ah, I see we visitors. Some who seem to know some of us better than others," he glanced at Kagome to see her blush darker, giggling slightly. The passion he saw in her eyes was raw, uncontrollable, and rare, and he knew another magic user almost instantly. "The King has already informed me of what's gone on, and I have found a solution!"

"Really?" Yuffie asked, "That fast?"

"Why, of course," Merlin said, swinging his wand in the air. A clear, crystal, ball appeared on the table, the books instantly gone, along with his tea set. "This shows me the location of everything I've ever seen! After speaking with the King I realized that I have seen this portal you spoke of. It was somewhere in Hallow Bastion, but I'm not exactly sure where. This will show us!"

"Cool," Kagome X said.

Kagome nodded in agreement, watching the others crowd in around her. She noticed that Merlin seemed to be staring elsewhere, and followed his gaze, before it landed onto Sesshoumaru. "What's the matter?" she asked.

"He's missing an arm," Merlin replied, noticing how everyone turned his or her gaze to Sesshoumaru, as if noticing something huge. "I sense it constricts him into the skin he is currently in because he is unable to transform and control himself on three legs. An inu, I believe is what he is. My eyes are beginning to fail me, though."

"Hai," Kagome said, turning toward him. "Sesshoumaru—ah—sama, is an inu in true form. He is a powerful youkai, and controls the Western side of the Sengoku Jidai. His half-brother, the hanyou I travel with, sliced left arm off when he gained control of Tetsusaiga, which is a sword made from their father's fang. Tenseiga, I believe, was as well, and Sesshoumaru-sama wields it like a true swordsman, while his half-brother merely swings his sword around as if merely playing with a toy." Her voice was sad, ashamed that Inuyasha wielded the Tetsusaiga in such a way. It was almost disgusting.

"Hm," he said, "I'll have to mix that. I hope you don't mind, miss. I wish to do this before we begin. I believe, from what my eyes tell me, that he is much more powerful in his true form." Seeing her merely tilt her head to the side, he noticed that she seemed to be ashamed that she had probably seen the act of the arm being severed from the male's body. He moved toward him, watching as the male gave off a growl, obviously feeling the magic that began popping around him.

"Don't worry, Sesshoumaru," Kagome X said. "Merlin merely wants to help you."

"This Sesshoumaru does not need the help of a wizard," he replied.

"Iie, you don't," Merlin replied, his voice distant and almost unreal. "You could easily grow the arm back yourself, but it will take hundreds of years, and much pain. But you're willing to endure it in order to merely say you did it yourself. You are ashamed that your younger, half-brother managed to do such a thing, and now you do not wish for anyone else to help you, yet already two people have, both in the figure of a girl."

Growling, Sesshoumaru said, "Just do what you wish is best, wizard, and be gone."

Merlin seemed to still be in his daze as he swung his wand, and muttered something under his breath. There was a flash of white light, a loud snarl of pain, before everything went silent, and Merlin blinked away what he'd just experienced. He glanced over at the youkai to see him doubled over, whimpering slightly as his arm grew back, the claws of his new hand digging into his floor. He nodded, before turning back to the ball, "Now, why don't we find out where that portal it!"

"Ok!"


	8. How to Say Goodbye

Growling, he turned onto his side on the stone floor, remembering the words that strange copy had said. It disturbed him, especially when she said, " _…I might be new at this…"_ since she'd fought almost like she'd done it all her life. How had she managed such a thing if she were a beginner? Perhaps she was a true warrior at heart and had yet to discover it? He couldn't figure out any other way she'd beaten him. Yes, the Kagome he knew and respected had been helping her, but she'd done most of the work in the end. It was humiliating.

"Still sulking, are you?" came another voice, feminine by nature. Inuyasha snorted, turning onto his side to see the woman standing above him. If he could feel actual emotions he might have said he loved her, but he didn't, he couldn't feel anything other than the lust for life. According to their leader, Kingdom Hearts would be able to give them that, would be able to purify the darkness in their beings, thus making them real, living, breathing people. This woman almost made him question that theory, but it wasn't his job to stand against anyone else in the Organization. The others who'd tried had been destroyed, and he would admit that he was too cowardly to try the same thing, especially since he'd seen them all  _die_.

Shaking his head, he replied, "I have nothing to be ashamed of. I was beaten, fair and square. There's nothing to sulk about."

The woman smiled, her brown eyes telling him that she knew differently. She was different from other living ningen, since she'd actually wished to help them, instead of trying to kill them. She'd even tried to be his lover at one time, but he wasn't actually real, he wasn't able to receive or give pleasure in such a way. She'd accepted that. "You know as well as I that that's not true, Inuyasha. You're sulking now, thus you cannot say that you have nothing to sulk about."

"How do you know?" he asked.

The woman shook her head. "That's a stupid question, Inuyasha, and you know it. Why would you sulk if there were no reason to? Hm? You wouldn't, therefore, because you are, you have a reason and you're not going to hide that from me. Now, tell me why you feel so down at the moment."

"I can't," he whispered.

She gave him a confused look, obviously not having heard him. Her brown eyes blinked a few times, as she said, "Hm? What was it you said? I didn't catch it."

Turning onto his back, he placed both his hands behind his head, saying, "I can't. How many times do I have to tell you? I can't feel emotions. I can't feel anything that comes with being ningen. Therefore, as you would say, I cannot be down at all."

Frowning, she replied, "That's not true, Inuyasha. If you could not feel anything, you would be a heartless, not a nobody. You do feel things; you just deny that you do. That's why you can sulk like you do whenever she beats you. You just feel bad because you know that deep down she was and is Reina, and you know that no matter who she looks like you will forever be fighting her. You don't wish to, but you have to, because that's what you do. You fight to survive."

"Stop acting like you know me," he growled.

"But I do know you." She tilted her head to the side, examining him further, before reaching out her hand. She waited until he grasped it, before pulling him up. "I know you, Inuyasha, or I wouldn't try to be your friend, even though you push me away."

Nodding, he waited until she began walking from him, her hand falling from his own. He sighed, turning his head down, before whispering, "You still don't know me. You never will, because no matter how much you try I'm only his nobody. I'm not really him, and you know it. Hopefully, someday, you'll accept that—"

"Come on, Inuyasha," she called. "Don't you want to watch Kingdom Hearts continue to fill, before opening as Kagome crushes the hearts of so many trapped inside the heartless?" She almost thought she'd heard him say something, but decided to ignore it, watching as he began walking toward her. She felt something in her chest give a little twist as she remembered the fact that she used to be a schoolmate to the girl she'd mentioned, but she ignored that as well.

"—Kikyo."

oOo

She placed her mirror into her lap, before gazing up into the sky. Something told her that clouds would soon swarm their way into the area and rain would pound against the soil, but she merely watched the blue sky until she could not any longer. Her pale fingers traced the designs on the back of the mirror, nearly feeling the souls that were still screaming, wriggling, and corrupting from the pain that they were put under while inside the small weapon. She was the void, though; she did not care because her soul had yet to be returned to her body. She knew that Hakudoushi had taken the things that Naraku hid their missing pieces away in, and she knew that Kagura would soon end her life in order to free Hakudoushi, but she did not care at the moment. She was nothing more than a void; after all, what reason would she have to  _care_?

Naraku – her master, her lord, and her father – was elsewhere, probably trying to figure out why the Western Lands hadn't been handed over to him. Perhaps she should have told him that she'd never felt Akira's life force disappear when he was sucked away from them through that strange portal? Naraku might have thought it was a device that killed whoever went inside, but she was beginning to think that it might be something else, something more than simply destruction. After all, though she was void of emotions, she knew from merely watching others through her mirror that happiness usually reined supreme throughout the world whenever war was far from them. Those within a war were usually happy to know they won, or that it was at least over when they finally settled their differences or destroyed their competitor. So, perhaps the portal did something wonderful and magical, instead of destroying whoever went inside of it? She wanted to know, and she would figure out what it was sooner or later, though she preferred the first option.

Maybe the device sent the person who went inside to a land where no one fought, and everything always ended up going the way they wished it to. Maybe there was lush forest, and never polluted waters – like a beautiful world where you could never be sickened, or die. Maybe the ones who went inside were instantly purified, not to where youkai blood was taken from them, but to where they were turned into a good, wonderful person who was willing to help and love others. Perhaps that was what was on the other side of the portal, and right now everyone sent inside was happy and carefree. Perhaps the houshi and the taijiya were getting married, both telling each other of their feelings, since she knew from watching them through her mirror that they'd never done so, but the miko continued to get them to try. Perhaps Akira's link with Naraku had been severed, and he was traveling the wonderful land, finding a beautiful woman and getting to know her. Perhaps the miko, who'd loved a hanyou who did not return her feelings because of a dead woman, had moved on. With who? Who knew, but if she had to guess she would guess Inuyasha's elder brother, Sesshoumaru, for he was of the inu kind, and the miko seemed to favor them above all else. Since Sesshoumaru would have been transformed into a good-natured fellow they would have gotten along like a nettle and string. Or the two could have forgotten all about their past lives and began living with each other because they felt they knew each other in some way. Yes, perhaps they were transported to such a place, but it might have been just her wishful thinking that led her to believe this in the end. Not that she was very wishful, though.

She wanted to be free. She wanted to know what it was like to feel and have happiness. She couldn't have that because Naraku was her master, the one who controlled her; he was her lord, the one who told her what and how to do something; he was her father, the one who'd created her the way she was. She wanted to be free of  _him_  and to live life the way she saw others live within her mirror, not just from the land they walked upon, but other lands far, far away. Some of them were far more beautiful than the land she knew, some of them full of riches, while others were under siege, some being blown away as if nothing but sand on the wind. She wanted to live, but be another's tool for the rest of her existence, but she could not determine if she was living, or not.

Kagura would be a small example of what she was willing to do in order to get what she wanted. Kagura's life would be a way to free both her and Hakudoushi, before they fled the only home they'd ever known and ventured to other lands, possibly meeting other types of youkai, gaining, perhaps, friends, allies, and thoughs who needed them in order to survive. Kagura's life would not be mourned by anyone, and the wind demoness was far too much like her breed told you she was, the wind. The wind, when in demoness form, could be chained down, Kagura would have to see that, and she'd have to see that whenever in demoness form the wind could not pass through everything dangerous to it. Kagura was like the wind, she was not the wind, and therefore her life would have to be taken in order for her to get what she wanted.

When she died, Kagura would be free, and she would be free as well.

Smiling lightly, Kanna closed her eyes, before leaning backwards. Moments later she opened them, watching as a white mist-like shape began floating into the area. It was at that moment that she knew Hakudoushi had done his job and that soon he would be free as well. Kagura might curse her when she died, but that was not something that bothered her. Kanna had no reason to fear the dead.

oOo

"Just do what you wish is best, wizard, and be gone," were the words he'd said. However, now he'd wished he'd raced out the door, moving far away from the man known as Merlin. His left arm was on fire feeling like the new appendage was some type of metal being melted down into a liquid form and then reformed over and over and over again. The snarl that he'd allowed to be released from his throat should have been much more feral than it had been, but at the moment he was not worried about that. He whimpered in pain, pressing his forehead into the floor, his male ego deflating with each moment that he was in such a position. The others seemed not to notice, however, and he was glad that he could keep some of his dignity in tact… except for that one pair of eyes that he felt, lightly touching him before turning away, almost like they couldn't stand to look at him any longer. For that he was almost grateful, since no one should see Sesshoumaru, Taiyoukai of the West - any Inu no Taisho for that matter - in such a position.

Thick blood swam into his eyes, his claws sinking into the floor as his fangs ripped through his gums. He pressed himself into the floor again, trying to create pain elsewhere in his body so that he could regain the control he was quickly losing. However, the beast inside of his male body held fast, gripping onto reality, before Sesshoumaru was suddenly swept away into inky blackness, his mind almost shutting down completely. He could no longer fight against the animal he'd held for so long, and he could only hope it did not hurt the others, for he was not sure if he didn't need them in order to go through a portal and end up within his own dimension again.

The male snarled; his fangs were bared against the floor as he continued to give off his rumbling sound. He heard other begin to talk amongst themselves, and finally a gasp of fright, to which fueled his amusement as he lifted his silvery head, his blood red eyes staring at them all. The animal did not understand who most of these people were, but at this moment it determined that none of them were powerful enough to defeat him, and that, for some reason, he felt out of place. His body was constricted in strange clothing, the silk he once wore long gone, while this new material lightly shifted upon his skin, scratching at it like blunt nails; eating into his skin because it was so unknown.

He almost reached up to tear at it, before he realized that one of them was beginning to approach his form. He moved into a more dog-like position, his feet planted firmly on the strange floor beneath him, before he began moving backward, his hands walking backward before his feet followed, and he knew that it was strange to once again have two arms. He nearly collapsed onto one side, but the presence of this strangely clad female weighed heavy on his current state of mind, thus keeping him on his four  _paws_. The strange clothing felt tighter around him, and he growled, watching as the female stood firm, walking almost straight toward him, her eyes never once straying from him.

White fur began forming on his skin, his hair twisting almost on silent wind as it lifted into the air. He felt his joints begin to crack, beginning to ready themselves for the change of the body, while his bones began growing in size. The skin of his face began stretching outward, his bones following afterward to form his snout. His thin purple pupils became thinner, his eyes growing in size, before he felt his clothing rip from him, the strange material not the enchanted silk that became one with his body. Within moments he became a smaller dog form, his white fur falling around him, while his fangs snapped at the hand stretching out toward him, the poison dripping into the air around them.

The others backed up, only the single female standing tall before him. The dog growled; poison continuing to drip from his fangs as his head tilted downward, his eyes staring straight into her own. He heard the name he was given at birth from her lips, twice, before she reached out her hand once more. He growled, moving backward, before snapping. He watched as the female only jumped a little, obviously fearful of his temperament, and he was giddy to find how far he could get this female to go before she turned into a whining ball upon the floor.

Something told him that he needed her, for something or other. He needed some of them, but he couldn't determine which ones he needed and which ones he didn't. He backed up some more, his tail swinging back and forth, his ears pressed back against his head. He couldn't transform into his giant form for the house was covered in spells, magic that would constrict him once more. It was because of this that his demonic energy pressed against his skin, trying to make him transform completely, before he felt something touch his nose.

"Sesshoumaru." No respect, only a bit of fear etched into the woman's voice as she touched him. No one had ever called him or the one who chained him by his name, without 'sama' at the end at least, since the time that his sire had given up his life. "Sesshoumaru… you're hurt…" The attention to the fact that she was using his name changed to what she was saying, wondering what was coming out of her lips exactly. He tried to remember the words she used and once he did he wondered what she was talking about; surely he was no longer hurt, he did have his leg back, after all.

Kagome ran her hand over the dog's white snout, before beginning again. The white dog was staring at her with red eyes, and she watched as they narrowed, obviously trying to understand what she was trying to tell him. Merlin had returned his arm, yes, but from his transformation the place where Inuyasha had taken his last arm had begun to bleed, the blood coating and thickening in his gorgeous fur. She patted his snout once more, watching as the dog's leg seemed to bulge, almost like he was trying to turn into that giant form she'd once seen. "Sesshoumaru, you need to be in control in order for us to return home. You can't go running off in this form because of pain. You're so much stronger than that; I know that… because I've seen what you truly are. I've seen the animal within, and this isn't you," she whispered, trying to catch his attention without the others hearing her words.

 _Rin_  swam into his mind, but he shook that name away. This was not Rin. Rin was much smaller in size, and she did not smell of such womanly things, nor did she even have the trace of adulthood rearing its head within her scent. This woman smelled like a child, yet she was within a body that was ripe for the picking, the traces of full adulthood within her scent, covered by the childish scent that still lingered upon her skin. He assumed this was because she had not been with a male of any kind, and he pushed his snout further into her hand, before slowly moving forward, sniffing at her arm, before moving forward.

The others watched as the dog slowly moved until his nose was situated next to her stomach, and they watched as she knelt down beside him, scratching the dog behind his ears. They were amazed that such a thing had happened to Sesshoumaru, but they also remembered that these strange people had continued to say that he was a youkai, a demon. Perhaps they weren't being funny when they said that, since he was obviously more animal than man… no, he wasn't a man, he was a male, a youkai male. He was an inu.

He rudely shoved his nose between her breasts, causing Kagome to blush darkly, before turning her head from him. She felt him sniffing at her skin before he pushing her, knocking her onto her butt, and gave a dog-like snicker. She glared at him for a moment, and then turned her head to ignore him, wondering if like a dog he would try and gain her attention, or simply run off. She felt him nudge her again, before she turned completely. "I'm ashamed, Sesshoumaru. You cannot even control yourself." She turned her eyes to see his red ones narrow, "You're weaker than Inuyasha."

A snarl erupted from his throat before he felt the other side of him fight for control. The beast fought, before realizing that his master was beginning to pull tighter for control, until he whimpered and resided inside of himself, his bones popping to change back into his humanoid form. The white mist rose around him from the demonic energy he was giving off, his body changing back into one that looked more ningen, before he realized that his clothing had not been destroyed, but a strange feeling crawled over his skin because he was wearing the exact clothing that had ripped from his skin upon changing.

Sesshoumaru glared at her, "Now tell me I am as weak as that stupid half-breed, miko." He shook, his body feeling the after affects of the rushed transformation, before he growled in his throat; something washing over him when he realized a hand was on his arm. He roughly pushed the miko away, standing on his shaking legs, before growling at them all. He was tired of this - his eyes switched to the strange ball the wizard had and saw the portal – and he wasn't going to stay around any longer, whether the others managed to follow him or not. His body was still on fire and he did not stop to think that he might need the others to leave, but instead took a few steps toward the door, his eyes turning when the miko grabbed his clothing.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, please," she nearly cried. She held onto him, knowing somehow that he was going to leave, but he pushed her again, his claws racking into her arm, causing her to give a small hiss. "Please," she whispered. "You don't know this world. You don't know where the portal is!"

"Let go of this Sesshoumaru, miko," he hissed, his eyes swimming with red once more. He roughly knocked her away, before moving toward the door, again. His claws came up and he wasted no time in ripping the door from the hinges, and rushed outside. His rushed transformation to and from his inu form was taking its toll on him, and he felt the need to change once more. He needed a worthy opponent in order to get rid of this sudden feeling for bloodlust and he knew that no one inside that strange home would be able to face him without dying. No, no one.

"Where is he going?" Cloud asked, suddenly standing at the window. His hands leaned against the windowsill, before he watched the youkai rip through a couple of magic using heartless. He narrowed his eyes as the youkai threw his head back and howled. He watched as the white mist began rising from the ground around him once more, only becoming much large in size with each passing moment this time.

"Kagome-chan," Sango gasped, "what's happening to him?"

"He's changing into his true form," Kagome whispered.

"Which would be?" Leon asked.

"A giant shiro-inu," Kagome whispered back.

"Giant?" Yuffie gulped. "How big are we talking here? Twenty feet tall? Thirty?"

"I-I," Kagome shook her head. "I don't know how big he really is. I'm sure he's still growing, too, since his father was huge, about three to four times bigger than he is at the moment." She watched, as the mist seemed to pulse, before it grew bigger and bigger, stretching outward until she was sure his front paws would have to be situated onto the platform above just for him to fit. However, when it finally cleared away she took a step back, since his back paw was directly in front of her, his tail probably touching the top of the roof. Hell, there was no probably about it!

"Wow," Donald said.

Goofy shook his head. "There's no 'wow' about it, Donald. This is big trouble if you ask me."

"Me, too," Kagome X said. "When you said he was a youkai I didn't believe you, but I think this takes the cake. I mean, I expected him to be that small little thing he turned into a few moments ago, not… not this…" Looking upward, she watched the inu howl once more, before bounding up and over the wall that separated them from heartless territory.

"We need to go after him," Kagome shouted over the howl.

"What?" Kagome X screamed. "Are you crazy?"

"We don't know how long the portal is going to stay open if he goes through it," Miroku nodded. "I trust Kagome-sama. We will go after him."

Sango bit the inside of her lip, mumbling, "I wish I had Kirara. It would be much easier to follow him with her." She watched as Sesshoumaru's white form faded into the distance, with each bound getting further and further away from them. She looked at Kagome and nodded, "I believe following him would be for the best, though, Kagome-chan. After all, who knows what will happen if we don't go through together. We could lose each other and then what change would we have at defeating Naraku when we return?"

Kagome smiled, "Exactly." She was nervous. She knew she should be, and she looked forward, in the direction that Sesshoumaru had gone. She knew that the King was still out there somewhere, holding the heartless off as they doubled in numbers, but what would happen to Sesshoumaru? True, she wasn't exactly that worried about him, he was her enemy before this after all, but she couldn't help but feel this was somewhat her fault. She felt like she needed to fight after fighting the Inuyasha of this world, but she also felt that she was still just the weak schoolgirl the inu-hanyou she knew always saw.

She snuffled her feet beneath her, taking a small glance at her companions. "What do you think, guys?"

Goofy moved forward to her side, "Well, the King's still out there, and we are supposed to protect those who need us. We haven't encountered anything that's been able to defeat us completely, though we have been knocked down a couple a times before. I'm sure we'll be fine, Kagome."

Donald nodded, "Yeah. We're together one hundred percent of the way!"

She smiled, her keyblade forming in her hand. Kagome X looked up at the others, determination written deep in her eyes as she smirked. "All right, then. We're with you. After all, if we can't get through this… then we're not fit to save the worlds that we're protecting, nor are we deserving of the titles' we've been given. Who are we to run away?"

Her smirk grew, "Besides, we can use the Gummi ship to follow after your youkai friend. We'll be there in no time." She turned to Donald, "It can hold that many people, right?"

Donald nodded, "I'm sure it can handle it!"

Kagome felt a tear streak down her cheek. "Thank you," she said. "I don't know what I could ever do to repay you for this, but I'm sure that I'll find something someday. If we're ever able to return, that is."

Kagome X, Goofy, and Donald swung their weapons into the air, singing "LETS GO" together. They then swung them downwards with each other, looking up when they realized another keyblade was positioned with their own weapons - Kagome's, as she smiled at them in happiness.

oOo

He glanced backwards, flexing his wing a bit as he sensed it.  _Saw_  it, really. Something worthy of battling was coming his way. Something that might actually be worthy of his fighting skills, since he doubted the keyblade master would ever be able to truly defeat him. She'd tried once and left with nearly untreatable wounds. The girl was a fool.

The wind picked up around him as he allowed his aura to leak out, telling heartless and nobodies alike that they were not welcome there. His hair and the features of his wing blew to the side, neither truly ruffled in the least. His eyes, however, flickered for a moment to the strange portal that had opened not to long ago. It looked like a keyhole craved into the stone, but he could feel the magic radiating from it. Almost like the heartless and nobodies felt his power.

It was not something to be played with simply because of curiosity.

He was no fool, after all - the keyblades master, mistress, perhaps, but not him. For he was a legendary swordsman who's power could not be rivaled at that moment. Many wanted him as their ally, but not even they were worthy of that. They were worthy of nothing until they were able to defeat him, to show him that they were worthy enough to be at his side.

He needed no friends.

Family… he had no family. He hated the taste of the word itself.

Allies could be worthless, not to mention useless at times.

He needed no one but himself. Not friends, not family, not lovers, not allies. The only thing he needed was he, for he could be all those things for himself and never once let him down. Even enemies could let a person down. So, he needed no one. Only himself.

Yes, he was truly alone in the world. But that was exactly how he wanted it at that moment. After all, he only wanted a few things in life, and none of them should have been that complicated to follow by others. They only were because of one simple thing: they were fools.

oOo

The giant dog that was Sesshoumaru growled and snarled, watching as those strange creatures formed around his feet. His thundering steps echoed throughout the small space he'd found himself within, one of his giant paws up on the platform above the ground. The place rumbled beneath his feet, while he swiped his paw, his new paw, at the strange creatures surrounding him. Each one of them smelt like strange magic, but it did not bother him, because though each were trying to attack him, it was but a small almost nonexistent prick against his fur.

He swiped his paw against as more, hundreds upon hundreds of the small creatures formed around his feet, each one trying to strike out at him. He chuckled a little on the inside, watching as they disappeared almost as soon as they appeared, as each one dying beneath his might. His red eyes caught the sight of something off to the side, what looked to be a small vessel of some type, but he ignored it, enjoying his kills. He hadn't had this much enjoyment since the time that he watched his half-brother's foolish miko wave his father's mighty fang at him, spiking his curiosity of how she had survived his Dakkasou.

His eyes swerved toward the strongest scent of magic, looking out toward a black castle in the distance. He wondered if perhaps destroying the castle would stop the hundreds of creatures that continued to try and attack him. With a simple stomp of his foot over half were easily dispatched, and though he enjoyed the thought of killing them, they were beginning to become annoying. The same thing over and over again, he needed something more powerful to fight, something that would actually give him a challenge.

The tiny vessel neared him and he thought for a moment of picking it out of the air with his fangs, before dismissing the idea. The vessel was doing nothing to attack him, not like the creatures at his feet.  _Heartless_  past through his thoughts, but it made no sense to him at all – the word meant nothing, except the fact that they might be these  _heartless_. He scoffed at the idea, though, for he remembered tiny hearts flying from them when the miko and her strange counterpart destroyed them. They had hearts; they simply had no need for them and thus did not use them. The hearts weren't needed, thus they were known as these  _heartless_.

He peered down at them, debating whether or not to simply melt them all with his poisonous salvia. However, he once again pushed that thought away, no matter how much he wished to use it. He would be destroying the ground beneath his feet, and he might end up killing most of the creatures on this world. Should he be stuck there for the rest of his long life, he wanted at least to have something to kill, to fight against. Yes, they might be annoying and lousy opponents, but it was amusing that they continued to come, even when their companions fell.

Besides, as much as he hated to admit it, the people of this world might make good company for a while. Until he decided to simply kill them, or demand they tell him once again where the portal was so he could search for it. And, as much as he did not wish to think about it, the miko and her friends were the only things on this strange land that he understood and knew. He might not have liked the idea, but it would be nice to have something familiar around him.

Shaking his mighty head, the dog took a small leap, bringing himself to another small hole. He knew that he could simply leap from the platforms above the level ground, but he wanted to know what exactly he could learn from this world. For even in his dog-form he was still intelligent and calculating. The beast simply did not know when to back down, while the master allowed him to do what he wished at the time. The beast that controlled their mightiest form planned to kill as much as it could, even if it was only the small creatures he was still curious about. If stuck there, he knew that they would most likely become something he'd try to find answers to, but until he was sure he would kill them and wait for the next batch to show up.

It did not take long, more of the creatures quickly popped into the area, each one of them trying to get past his thick fur to strike his flesh. He knew it was a waste of their time, but they seemed mindless. More so than he was when he was in a blood rage, wishing for only blood to fuel his lust. He quickly noticed the difference between some of them, and gazed down at the tiny specks that were jerking with every step they took. Another set of strange creatures, which he knew somewhere in his mind were not the heartless, but something else. He knew the name, but he did not wish to dig for it. No, he wished to kill them, see if they could be more of a challenge than the ones before them.

He was quickly disappointed, though. He did not show it, his snout merely wrinkling upward in disgust, but he felt it. The fact that these creatures were more powerful than the heartless, but not by much was very disappointing. It meant that even they would not make a good opponent and he'd probably never find an opponent that might be able to match him in strength. It meant that he might become the strongest in this strange land should he be stuck there and that everything else should fall beneath his power. It meant that like the Western Lands everything within the area would become his subjects and he could do with them as he wished. It meant that he would rule and be isolated from everything else like before. Isolating himself simply because he thought they were not worthy of himself.

Slamming his paw against the ground, the dog's ears lifted a bit, its red eyes snapping in the general direction of the castle. Something had released its true aura and the dog was interested as to what contained such power within this strange world. Yes, the power was not the greatest, perhaps even less than that of the miko's counterpart, but it was strong. It reeked of wisdom for battle and skills that came with only hard work and continuous training. It felt like an opponent that would be worthy of his skills and give him a challenge, but not in this form, no in his humanoid one, with the master in control.

A pleased rumble filled the area, the dog quickly leaping up onto the platform above the walkway, the path he was sure the ningen took. His head reared back, a roar escaping his chest as he warned the creature that its opponent was coming. He was going to find the owner of such a powerful aura and then he was going to destroy them, showing everyone within this world that he was the strongest in all the lands. He was Sesshoumaru and he had no rival.

With a shake of its head, the dog began bounding forward, quickly clearing the land beneath it, watching as the strange creatures appeared and disappeared as he leapt over the cracks in the ground. He past a crystal looking place, before finally leaping out once more, his sight coming to a small platform, a single figure standing out toward the edge. Glee filled the animal, before it felt its master grip onto control, its body beginning to pop back into its humanoid form.

A thick mist surrounded the dog, floating into the air behind it as it was finally hidden from view. It landed onto the platform, still continuing to sizzle away from the body. Red eyes flashed behind the mist, but even those were hidden quickly. Within moments the humanoid Sesshoumaru stepped out of the mist, the substance beginning to dissipate behind him. His cool and collected self took a step toward the one-winged man before him, Tokijin forming in his hand.

A smirk lifted onto his lips, his eyes taking in the form of the strange man standing in front of him. His eyes flickered over toward the vessel he'd seen before, watching as the side opened up and out stumbled the miko and her friends. His eyes returned to the figure in front of him, waiting for him to either draw his sword or give his name and purpose. Either way, he would not be the first to move.

"Sephiroth," Kagome X hissed, her keyblade forming in her hand.

oOo

"Do you think they're alright, Leon?" Yuffie asked, gazing out the window once more. She was worried, she'd heard the roaring and the growling, and felt the rumbling of the ground beneath her feet. There was a chance that Sesshoumaru, in his true form, had gone after the Gummi ship and if he had then everything was lost.

"Ah ha!"

Leon cast his eyes over toward Merlin, as the wizard continued to dance around his orb. He shook his head, saying, "No idea. All we can do is hope they're alright… or we could simply go out there and find out ourselves."

"I found it! I found it! I found it!"

Cloud stiffened, "Sephiroth is nearby." His eyes narrowed, his crossed arms falling to his sides as he took a step toward the door. No one would stop him, he knew that, and he needed to find out if what he'd just felt was what he thought it was. In a swirl of black he was next to the door, swinging it open and quickly stepping outside in order to head in the direction the others had taken.

"There he goes again," Cid mumbled, tapping away at the keys of the computer in front of him.

"Oh, that's not what I expected to find," Merlin mumbled, looking deeper into the orb in front of him. He reached up, quickly beginning to run his fingers through his bread, twisting some strands around his fingers. "Not what I expected to find at all!" he said, looking toward the others.

Yuffie smiled, "Why, what is it, Merlin?"

"Come, come, take a look for yourself," he motioned.

The others stepped forward, only Cid staying in his spot, each looking down into the orb. Their eyes widened, watching as two figures in front of the portal clashed, their swords slamming together in heated battle. They leaned forward a bit more, watching as they continued, each one trying to push the other back, both with small smirks on their faces. However, they continued to watch, only jumping back when two words filled the area from within the magical item. " _Dragon Strike!"_

Leon nodded to himself, "I think we should go. Right now, to make sure those kids aren't getting into the middle of that. God knows they'd try."

"Especially Kagome," Yuffie sighed. "The girl doesn't know when to keep to herself sometimes."

"Sometimes," Leon snorted. "Try all the time."

Merlin smiled, "Take care!"

oOo

"Land Donald, land!" Kagome X shouted over and over again, watching as the flustered duck finally did as she said. Giving a quick shout, she went to hit the button that opened the door, watching as the others cramped inside fell through to the outside. Grinning to herself, she jumped out, her happiness disappearing as soon as her eyes landed upon a single figure in front of them. A person who she'd tried again and again to defeat.

Sango and Miroku got to their feet, quickly getting off of Kagome as the girl groaned. Their eyes turned to Sesshoumaru, before shifting to the strange new figure in front of him. The person that they knew Sesshoumaru would probably end up battling with. If not to prove himself stronger, then to test the male's strength, hoping to find a worthy opponent within this strange world if they were to be stuck there. However, Sango nudged Miroku in the ribs, pointing to the object she saw just behind the two ready-to-fight figures.

"Sephiroth," Kagome X hissed, feeling her keyblade form in her hand. She took a step forward, watching as an arrogant smirk formed onto the lips of that  _oh, great_  swordsman. She almost struck out at the person who placed their hand onto her arm, until she realized it was Goofy standing beside her, Donald now on her other side.

"Maybe you should let someone else try for once, Kagome," Goofy said.

"Yeah," Donald agreed.

"But he doesn't—"

"You shouldn't worry about Sesshoumaru," Kagome said, stepping up next to them. "He can take care of himself. Besides, he stands up to Tetsusaiga, and that in itself is proof of his abilities."

"Tet-what?" Kagome X asked.

"Tetsusaiga," Kagome smiled. "It's a youkai sword, made from the fang of his and Inuyasha's father in our world."

The sound of metal against metal caused them to turn their attention toward the fighting pair, each one of them taking to great speeds, slashing out at each other with their blades. Both seemed emotionless, merely taking swing after swing, blocking counterattacks and striking out with their own. It was a beautiful dance of skill, though who would win was something no one would know.

"Kagome-chan," Sango said. Once she'd caught the attention of the young miko, she said, "Do you think we should go to a greater distance? I know that Inuyasha would have normally kept the attacks from coming our way, but this is Sesshoumaru. It might be best to get to higher ground until we can escape to the portal."

Kagome X smiled, "Don't worry about it! Donald can make a barrier or something, right Donald?" She smiled to the wary duck, but knew that he'd do as she asked. After all, friends wouldn't let friends down and she'd been doing things for him nonstop lately. Like, keeping his tail features from being burnt. She watched as Donald went to work, before turning her somewhat skeptical eyes toward the scene before her. Watching the two slam their swords together made her feel inferior and she hoped that one-day she would be just as good.

Maybe she could even impress Sesshoumaru by showing him how much better she'd gotten since the last time she'd seen him. She knew that the Sesshoumaru fighting in front of her looking similar, but they were so different. Her Sesshoumaru seemed like he didn't care most of the time, almost dark, but he cared for her and she cared for him. She loved him. She wanted him back.

Miroku smiled when Sango turned her attention back toward him, asking a silent question that he knew he couldn't possibly ask. "I am beginning to wonder if we'll be able to get through the portal at all," he mumbled.

"You're supposed to be the one who tries to make everything seem alright, houshi," Sango frowned. "Are you sure you're not sick or something?"

"Hai, I'm quite alright, Sango-san," Miroku grinned. His hand twitched, wishing to reach out and grab onto the firm, round, ass that he knew was just waiting for his touch. He flinched when he noticed that Sango was glaring at him.

"Don't even think about it, hentai," Sango growled. "Now is not the time for anything like that." Turning her eyes away from him, happiness that he wanted to touch  _her_  filling her heart, she frowned. "I don't even know how you can think about anything of the sort when we might lose the thing we need in order to go through the portal. What happens if we're stuck here because Sesshoumaru gets himself killed?"

"We'll make the most of it, Sango-san," Miroku said. "I'm sure we'd be able to survive here. It does not seem to be such a harsh and cold place as most, I'm sure, could be."

Kagome smiled. "Don't worry, Sango-chan. I'm sure that we'll be able to find a way home." Even though she was smiling, she had a feeling that they wouldn't go home right away. They'd probably end up going to another world, for if this was like an alternate dimension to their world, then there were probably millions of them. A sinking feeling filled her body. She might never see her family again because she was jumping from world to world, trying to find home. She might never see Shippo, Kirara, or… Inuyasha, ever again.

All because she spent her life trying to find a way home, growing older with each passing day. Watching as her other selves were able to find happiness, while she was jumping from world to world. Growing so old that she wasn't able to jump from world to world ever again, thus trapping them all in one world, waiting for the moment she'd die. And it was all Naraku's fault!

Sesshoumaru swung his sword once more, quickly blocking the attack that was aimed for his neck. The long, thin blade that his opponent used was strange, for it shouldn't have been that easy to maneuver, but it was interesting to say the least. Tokijin pulsed in his hand, wishing to unleash its true power against this strong opponent, this man named Sephiroth. Once more he struck out at him, shifting his weight in order to place more force behind his attack.

His claws twitched, the tips of his new claws filling with poison. He would have simply used his whip if it weren't for the fact that he wished to test this man's swordsmanship, not his abilities to dodge. He growled a little, a smirk forming on his lips as he continued, knowing that he'd probably be pushed to his best of abilities. This was not like the different youkai that he fought with back home, for this man knew how to handle his sword and he knew just how to push him until even he was on the defensive.

His eyes narrowed a bit, wondering just where this strangely marked male had come from. Never had he witnessed another with such strength and skill, and he certainly hadn't come across an opponent that might be worthy of himself. Sephiroth smirked himself, knowing that no matter how many times he swung his sword, no matter how many times he tried to push him back, this male would not disappoint him. Not like so many others that would have. He decided that it was time to push him more, bring out the true power that he could easily bring forth. Perhaps then he would learn if this male's skills were truly worthy to be against his own.

He noticed instantly when the winged-man began striking out at him with quicker, more accurately aimed attacked. His instincts allowed him to adjust instantly, moving at the same speed, his sword moving to block each of the attacks aimed directly at him. He saw the slight narrowing of Sephiroth's eyes, but paid little attention to it, his eyes flickering to his feet. He growled when he noticed that he was being driven backwards, his feet beginning to slide against the ground. The presence of the heartless and nobodies filled his senses, telling him that the man was driving him back into them. He needed not worry about them, but he would show this man that he was not even beginning to play with him.

Sesshoumaru lifted his blade, blocking another strike to his head. As the man was bringing his long sword to strike him again, he flicked out his claws. His whip instantly formed on his fingertips, and he was happy that the wizard had managed to reform his arm to the perfection that it had been before. Nothing was different, except for the fact that it was new, the regeneration process simply quickened to form the arm again. His smirk, having disappeared not long ago, reappeared as his whip hit his opponent in the side, drawing blood.

Kagome X turned her attention toward the heartless that had appeared, each one of them rising out of the ground as if they were awaiting commands. Her hand clenched around her keyblade, a smirk forming on her lips as she raised it horizontally. Calling upon her magic, she sent wave after wave of her most powerful blizzard attack toward them, each hit more powerful than the last. She knew they were waiting for one of them to fall, possibly turning them into a heartless as well, and then releasing the form of a nobody. It wasn't going to happen, especially when she still needed to find the man she loved.

Sango turned her attention to the heartless, a smirk lightening up her face as she felt her Hiraikotsu materialize into her hand. It wasn't fair that Sesshoumaru was the only one getting all the fun. She deserved to have something to pulverize, especially since it might be a while until they returned home. She needed to know how to kill all the new enemies that they were put up against. Plus, she might get some new skills from sparing with these new enemies.

Miroku and Kagome stayed where they were, watching the battle between the two swordsmen. Miroku because he didn't feel like getting into a battle at the moment, not sure how much his new wind tunnel would suck in, and Kagome because she simply wished to watch the dance Sesshoumaru and Sephiroth created.

Sesshoumaru slid some more, his eyes flickering back toward the others, watching as they dispatched the heartless and nobodies with ease. His eyes turned back to his current opponent, watching as a thin sheen of sweat began forming on the man's brow. He put force behind each of his swings, deflecting his blade enough to strike out with a second attack each time, though Sephiroth quickly countered each, blocking each attack. Beginning to get annoyed with his new prey, even though he was enjoying such a good spar, he knew that this man would have no qualms against killing him. This was not just a spar, but an actual fight and he should be able to use whatever he wanted to, whether his opponent was expecting it or not.

Sephiroth twisted his wrist a bit, deflecting attacks from not only his opponent's strange blade, but his whip as well. He'd never seen a weapon quite like it, and he as intrigued, his eyes looking over toward it with interest. He allowed most to hit him, feeling blood leak only for a few moments from the stinging wounds. He had a feeling the blade would do him more damage, especially since it carried an aura, something most did not. An evil aura, which screamed to his senses, telling him it wished to sink deep into his heart and end his life. The blade wished it, not the male wielding it.

Setting his face back into his emotionless mask, Sesshoumaru drove forward, quickly jumping to the side from an attack that he wouldn't be able to deflect. His opponent quickly moved to change his angle of attack, but Sesshoumaru had already swung his sword, feeling his blade sink into the flesh and features of the one wing the man possessed as he moved. Hearing him hiss in pain, Sesshoumaru's smirk lifted back onto his lips, watching as an evil one was brought onto the face of his opponent. However, Sesshoumaru's became wider, his mouth opening to saw, "Dragon Strike!"

Sephiroth allowed his eyes to widen a bit, his body instantly rolling to the side on instinct. He felt the bit of flesh and features on his wing tear away, though he didn't pay it much mind. The blue looking lightning that sprung out from his opponent's blade put his body on auto mode, instinctively moving to avoid the attack that was headed straight for him. His teeth clenched together, feeling the attack bite into his side and destroy his one wing completely. His clothing hung from his flesh, torn and almost completely destroyed, while he brought his hand up to hold his brunt side. He knew that even his healing wouldn't be able to work on the wound very quickly.

Ripping her keyblade through another heartless, Kagome X turned when she felt the power of the attack. Her eyes widened, wondering just how that had happened, before she saw Sephiroth stumbled away from Sesshoumaru. Her lips twitched upward, while she slashed through another heartless, saying, "Check mate."

Smirking, Sesshoumaru said, "You have no chance of winning now. You're a good opponent, but not good enough to face this Sesshoumaru."

Sephiroth flinched at the cold words, quickly taking another step back. His blade disappeared from his hand while he held his side, his breathing beginning to come out quicker than before. His eyes watched his opponent closely, waiting for the killing blow that would probably come his way. When the blade of this new opponent disappeared, he hissed, "I'll be back."

"This Sesshoumaru would expect nothing less," Sesshoumaru smirked wider. "Now go, tend to your wounds if you must."

Sephiroth growled, turning away from them all. With a flash he was gone.

Sesshoumaru turned, his wrist flicking out once more, slicing through the remaining heartless. His face returned to the emotionless mask he was known for, his eyes skimming over the people that were before him. He turned then, his eyes catching sight of the portal not far away, the magic flooding from it. His eyes narrowed as the portal gave a blue glow, and then filled with a liquid type substance in the middle, almost like it was waiting for them to step into it. The blue and green clashed together, the blue holding the green in place, even though it looked as if it wished to escape from its prison.

Kagome smiled, "Nice job, Sesshoumaru."

He scoffed, "Did you expect this Sesshoumaru to lose, miko?"

She smiled brighter, "Iie. I'm simply congratulating you on a nice fight. For a moment there I almost thought you two were equal in strength, but then you pulled out the 'Dragon Strike'. I couldn't help but wonder if he had any type of magic like everyone else in this world, though. Maybe he was holding back."

He turned away from her, wondering why she was trying to be so nice to him. He didn't understand it. Especially when earlier she'd told him he was probably weaker than Inuyasha. The worthless hanyou did not even compare to him in strength, there was no way he was weaker than him. Now the miko was telling him that he'd fought nicely. He sighed, he'd never understand the mood swings that females seemed prone to having.

Kagome X smiled, stepping toward them, watching as the others came to create a circle. "Well, that was certainly interesting. I didn't think there was anyone who'd be able to defeat Sephiroth." She grinned, bringing a hand up to scratch behind her head.

Kagome smiled, looking over toward the portal. "Sesshoumaru is the most powerful out of us all, so it's not really a big surprise. Besides, I'm sure that there are plenty of other things that Sesshoumaru can do, even if we don't know it." Turning her head back toward the portal, she said, "But I don't think there's time to tell you about everything. I think it might be time for us to go."

Miroku nodded, "Hai, we do not know just how long the portal will remain open. Or just where we'll end up should we wait longer than we're supposed to."

"I'm pretty sure the keyblade that Kagome has works pretty much like my own," Kagome X said. "Most likely it will close off this world so that you don't end up here again unless you wish to return. Or maybe it activates it when nearby. But I'm sure that you'll end up somewhere, whether it's home or not… but I doubt it will simply close off because you're saying the last few things you want to."

Sango tilted her head, "You do know more about it than we do. But it's still better to be safe than sorry. You travel to different worlds, but it looks like we'll be traveling to different dimensions. There might be a difference between the two ways of traveling."

"I guess so," Kagome X replied, rubbing her chin a bit between her hands. "But if you have to go, I want to say that it was nice having you here. Even if the time you spent here wasn't very long. Besides, I'm sure that if you had to stay, we'd be able to get you a place to stay and we'd be able to become great friends as time past. Hey, maybe if you have to stay, you could help me find Kingdom Hearts and defeat Organization XIII, and then come back to the islands with me."

Smiling, she said, "I'd like that, if we have to stay." Kagome looked at each of them, somehow feeling like she was about to leave behind some very great friends, friends that she'd always known. Maybe not truly, but because her double had known them, still traveled with them. Tears pricked the side of her eyes, "I… I don't know what to say. I'm not sure if I should say goodbye or not."

Goofy looked down at Donald, before turning to give the miko a smile. "You could, if you wanted to, but sometimes its best to simply say farewell. That way, you don't have to feel like you're never going to return."

Donald nodded, "Yeah, cause you never know if you'll be able to come back or not."

Kagome X smiled at them. "That's true. I thought at one time that'd I'd simply return to the islands and then never see any of my friends again. But, during my travels in search of Sesshoumaru, I went to a castle, though I don't remember most of it, and then the next thing I knew, I woke up and everything was different. I was taller and stuff. And when I returned to Hallow Bastion, I found out that everyone had forgotten about me and everything else until I woke up. But I still got to see them again, even when I didn't think I'd be able to.

"So, maybe sometimes it's best not to say goodbye. Then, maybe someday, you'll be able to find a way back here. You never know, you might be able to see us again someday. And I'll wait for that day, since I doubt I'll ever be able to forget the fact that there are other dimensions and I have tons of counterparts!" Kagome X swung her hands out to her sides, smiling at them.

Kagome smiling, nodding, "Alright then, I won't say goodbye. I'll say: I hope to see you again someday, for that is truly what I want." She felt her blade form in her hand, "Because maybe, with this, I'll be able to come back. I'll be like the dimension hopper. Making new friends and seeing old ones. Who knows, maybe someday I'll be able to find out how the portal works and simply jump to the dimensions that I want to, before going home once more."

"That's the spirit!"

Sesshoumaru scowled at them, "I believe there had been enough time for you to all say your farewells. We should be leaving before the vortex closes, since we do not know if it is going to or not."

"Right," Kagome smiled. Turning back to her new friends, she said, "I'll try to keep to my promise, though I'm not sure if I'll be able to."

"We'll be waiting for you," Kagome X replied, waving as they walked toward the portal. She remained where she was, not knowing if going any closer would end up with her falling into another dimension as well. She couldn't do that, not when there were so many things that she needed to do in her own life. Yes, she probably would enjoy going to different dimensions, but watching them walk into that vortex and disappear made her hope that someday she'd be able to find the people she loved. Hoping that someday she'd be able to find her Sesshoumaru.

Goofy tugged at Kagome's sleeve, before saying, "Come on, Kagome. We should be getting back to Merlin's. Besides, didn't you say that you wanted to go visit Halloween Town soon? To make sure that Jack and the others were alright."

Wiping at her eyes, Kagome nodded. "Yeah, lets go."

With that they turned away from the portal, each one of them feeling a bit down from the knowledge that their new friends were gone. But they understood that they simply wanted to go home. They deserved that, and it wasn't in them to try and keep them from going. Besides, there was always the possibility that someday they might return.

oOo

Somewhere in a distant dimension, the sands shifted as a young prince flicked the reins of his horse. He frowned, turning to look back at his current advisor, knowing that the man was still trying to get him to take a wife. He wouldn't though, especially after seeing the last batch that he'd brought around. Each one of those bitches were simply greedy and wanted to become his wife for then he would become pharaoh and then they would sink their hidden fangs and claws into the many treasures they'd be allowed to have.

"Prince, please," the man shouted. "We should return to the palace before the storm hits."

"We will return when I am ready, Naraku," the prince snorted. Patting his black stallion on the neck, he nudged the horse forward. He didn't know why he was out here, he simply felt like there was something that he needed to do. Like something was going to happen and then he would have what he wanted. A kind, caring, loving woman who would love him for himself, instead of simply wanting his riches and the position as his wife like every other woman wanted. He knew that most women weren't brought up that way, though, and his father, the man who'd demanded upon his deathbed that he be married before he took the title of pharaoh, would have wanted him to marry a princess of some type.

None of them were worthy to even step into his presence. Even those that Naraku brought before him weren't worthy enough to touch him, sleep beside him, or anything else. Besides, he had a strange feeling that if he married one of the women Naraku brought that he might find an adder in his bed one morning. He'd die early in life, and he didn't want that. He expected to rule for a long time, like his father had, but something told him that if he married one of those women he would not last more than a year or so.

Besides, he didn't really know where Naraku had come from, or why he was there. And most of the time the man did not even seem to wish to make sure he continued his reign. Naraku seemed more like the dark type of man who was continuously trying to get rid of the current pharaoh in hopes of one-day killing off the entire line and taking control of the throne. There was no way he was going to allow that to happen, not with his kingdom. Not when he knew Naraku's type well, for his father had often told him of a man named Onigumo who'd tried the same thing with himself.

Who knew, perhaps they had been related.

The young prince shifted himself on his horse, beginning to pull on the reins in order to stir the horse back toward the palace. However, his eyes looked toward the sky, widening at the sight he saw. His eyes widened completely, his jaw dropping open when he saw the white streaks coming down at him. His horse reared backwards, knocking him to the ground, and he laid on the sand watching as the streaks got closer and closer.

Naraku's own horse reared backwards, as the man reached out and grabbed the reins of his prince's stallion. He wondered what had spooked the horse so badly, until his eyes turned upwards as a bright white light covered his form. His eyes widened, the black pits turning white as he felt the need to kick his horse in the side and quickly ride away from there. He knew though, that everyone would blame him should the prince die and he would never get his chance of taking the title of pharaoh.

A gasp tore through his throat as four figures came into his view. His eyes took in the first, though, the woman dressed in white, and see-through coverings. A strange sword was strapped to her side, and he felt like he was looking into the eyes of an angel. He gasped again, watching as they stepped onto the ground in front of him, even Naraku staring at them in wonder. His eyes were for only the first one, though, the black haired woman with blue eyes. A Goddess in his eyes. He nearly fell onto his face as he began to stand, though, at the words that left her mouth.

"Well, at least this time we didn't get knock out!" the woman smiled. "And we're wearing different clothes, too!"

Another woman behind her smiled, "Yes, I am quite glad that we didn't fall unconscious this time, too, Kagome-chan."

Prince Sesshoumaru's eyes looked into the blue ones of the Goddess before him. The woman named Kagome.


	9. The Egyptian Prince

It was disgusting, watching the so-called prince as he spoke softly with the miko. His brother's wench was blushing, obviously not expecting such treatment from such a fine man, nor such a high classed one, and that disgusted him. She should have realized that somewhere in the universe, whether theirs or another, there was going to be someone who wanted her, yet still she continued to play the innocent, naïve little girl that she most likely was not, now that he thought about it. Yes, she might be innocent in body, but that did not mean she was innocent in mind nor heart.

"Kagome-chan seems to be getting friendly with that boy," Sango muttered, watching them from the end of the table. They were sitting at a fine golden table on soft pillows, and in strange clothing. It felt like silk, but she was sure that it could have been something else, for she had never had such finery. However, her thoughts were more for her friend that was talking with the prince of a place she could not even pronounce.

Miroku grinned, "It is quite obvious that that young man is quite taken with Kagome-sama, isn't it? I certainly know why, she is a fine—Ow, Sango-san!"

"Bouzo," Sango growled.

Miroku brought his hand up, and placed his fist over his skin. "I am hurt, Sango-san," he said.

"Now is not the time to be thinking of those things, bouzo," Sango hissed. "We need to think of a way to keep that boy from falling for Kagome-chan."

"My dear, Sango." Miroku stopped, and then nodded a bit to himself. "One cannot stop love from taking hold of their heart and causing them to fall to their knees before a beautiful woman."

"You have a lot of experience there, don't you?" Sango asked, her lip twitching in frustration. Why couldn't she keep Miroku on a single thought, instead of instantly trekking into his perverted ones? She didn't even want to know what was going on in his head, but they needed to be thinking on how to keep Kagome from that prince. If Kagome fell for him, as he seemed to be falling for her, then they may never leave, and she knew that Kagome would want to go home eventually. They didn't belong there; they could be ruining certain events just by showing up.

That, and she remembered that prince muttering about gods and goddesses as they were returning to his palace. Even then he'd been rather close to Kagome, trying to speak with her, but Kagome had politely sent him to the front of the group. Now, though, they were not walking in a large desert, but sitting together, and Kagome hadn't wanted to be rude. That boy could become rather annoying, especially if they ever wanted to go home. She did, very much so, for she wanted to be in the dimension she had grown up in, instead of this strange place.

Prince Sesshoumaru frowned at the tale he was being told. "I do not understand how any man could not see the light that you shine, Goddess Kagome—"

"Ah, Kagome," she stopped him. "I've already told you that I'm not a goddess of any kind, Prince Sesshoumaru. I'm only Kagome, and… strangely enough I fell from the sky."

 _As you keep telling me_ , Prince Sesshoumaru thought. "Of course, Kagome, forgive me. I did not mean to insult you in any way by giving you a title which ranks you higher than anyone living on this land." He bowed his head a bit, and noticed that she clenched and unclenched her hands time and again as he did so. She was such a strange deity, but her modest nature made him lean a bit closer to her. "I merely wished to tell you that I do not understand how this Inuyasha could ever treat such a woman in such a way.  _I_ ," he continued, "would never have even wished such pain upon you."

Kagome blushed a little, and lowered her eyes. "That's—that's very kind of you," she replied.

"You should not be to surprised, Kagome," he smiled. "A woman as fine as yourself deserves the finest things that the gods gave to humankind. Even more so, if they were willing to part with some of their more impressive treasures. I will never question the ways of the gods, but I believe they spent a great deal of time when creating you and your soul." He picked up her hand from her lap and brought it to his lips, gently kissing the back of her hand.

She blushed a bit harder, laughing a bit nervously. He was very sweet, so unlike the Sesshoumaru sitting on her other side, but in the end she wondered how many of his words weren't merely said to try and make her stay with him. Believing she was a goddess was understandable when they'd come from the sky, and instead of hitting the ground hard, hit it gently. However, she'd had her history lessons and knew that he would try everything in his power to be in her good graces if he truly thought she was a goddess just so she would favor him and his kingdom. No doubt he thought she did already because she'd returned with him.

"There is no need to be modest," Prince Sesshoumaru said. "I have never laid eyes on a woman such as yourself, and my words are true."

 _Is he reading my thoughts_? Kagome wondered for a moment. Not to mention his words came out smoother than he thought they could, like he was some strange mixture of Kouga and Miroku. A scary thought that was.

Sesshoumaru snorted, turning his head away from them as he sipped at the wine he'd been given. It was quite obvious the prince was trying to win the miko's heart, as well as get her into his bed in order to breed with him. Thinking she was some type of higher being was ridiculous, though, for he would have never thought such a thing. In fact, when he'd first seen her in her indecent clothing, he'd almost thought she was a whore his insolent half-brother had picked up for his own pleasure. However, she'd smelled so pure and innocent in body that it was difficult to tell, and then she'd pulled Tetsusaiga from its resting place, proving that she was much more than a simple whore. Still, a goddess was a bit over the line.

His eyes swept over the woman again, a smirk tilting on his lips. The young prince was already beginning to become trapped in her feminine web. Perhaps he could use her? Perhaps there was a bit of greed that he could play off of, telling her that she could have anything she wanted when she stood by his side after the prince was gone and he ruled? Or maybe she wished for power, which he could also give her if the prince was out of his way? That woman may be the perfect way for him to crush the prince, killing him and taking his place on the throne because he had no heir. Even then, the prince could not truly rule as pharaoh because his father's final words ordering him to wed first.

Sesshoumaru's nose twitched, his eyes turning to the advisor the prince had. He would not have been fool enough to allow one with the name Naraku to stand by his side, but the prince was obviously not as intelligent as himself. It made him sick to know that somewhere there was an alternate version of himself that was blind to everything surrounding him, and even blinder when a pretty woman passes his eyes. Still, from what his nose told him, that advisor had no good intentions, and he doubted that he would wait for long before he struck.

"It is beginning to get late, my prince. Perhaps it is time to consider retiring?"

Prince Sesshoumaru turned his head, and scowled at his advisor. He brushed his brown hair off his shoulder, and replied, "I will retire when I am ready, Naraku. If you wish to then do so, but I will remain here for now."

Naraku stiffened, and then bowed his head. "As you wish, Prince Sesshoumaru."

Prince Sesshoumaru watched him go, and then snorted. Turning his eyes back to the woman at his side, he smiled once more. "You must forgive Naraku, he is old and cannot stay up into the long hours of the night," his smile turned to a smirk, "but I assure you, Goddess Kagome, that I can." He kissed the back of her hand once more, having heard stories of many goddesses who came from the heavens in order to sample the pleasures of man. Of course, they were mainly goddesses for the land of Greece, but he had never heard of the goddess before him, so he was not sure if she would be the same.

Kagome laughed again in nervousness, thinking,  _I'm sure you can_.  _Though, I have to admit, that line was a lot better than Miroku's 'will you bear my child'._  She was not stupid, she knew exactly what he was talking about, especially when she recalled that they were very close to ancient Greece, which meant he probably knew of the gods and goddesses from there, as well. Myths and legends were always talking about how they would sire or birth demi-gods, and she had no doubt he would want one if he could get one. "It's Kagome," she reminded him again, though.

"Hai, of course," he nodded.

She seriously doubted he'd remember, even as he said it.

"Kagome-chan."

Looking up, Kagome smiled, and pulled her hand away from the prince's gently. He had turned his head to stare at Sango as well, though not as pleasantly as he'd been staring at her, and she had no doubt it was because he was annoyed with her. Her smile became a little brighter, no doubt annoying the prince even more, as she asked, "Hai, Sango-chan?"

"I think it would be best if we retired, Kagome-chan," Sango said. "This place is rather hot during the day, and even with all the fine drinks we have been able to drink, we should sleep to recover and prepare for it tomorrow. There is no telling how long it will take for us to find a way to leave."

"Leave?" Prince Sesshoumaru blinked. He hadn't known they were going to leave. Were they so disappointed in the land of man that they wished to return to the heavens? Or had they been cast away from the heavens because of some type of dispute and now had to find a way to return to keep the balance of good and evil? He was not sure, but he did not like the idea of them leaving. Not at all – though the one who had been glaring at him, the one whose name he had not been given, was rather annoying. He'd need to watch him with the goddess at his side, for there was a chance they were married and the god was becoming jealous with his advances toward his wife.

"We're only traveling through," Kagome nodded. "Once we can find the way to leave, we'll leave you in peace. We appreciate your hospitality, though."

"I see," Prince Sesshoumaru frowned. "But perhaps you would like to bathe before you retire? I'm sure the servants would be happy to help you."

"A bath?" Sango asked. "Hai, that would be very kind of you, thank you."

"It is no problem," Prince Sesshoumaru said. "Afterward they will show you to your rooms. In the morning they will come to wake you when the table has been set, and then you may do whatever you wish around the kingdom. I will not set restrictions on any of you." He would also make sure that they were watched, but he would not tell them that, for he wanted to know a few things. Especially when it came to the beautiful woman that had caught his eye.

The four of them nodded, and watched as he clapped his hands together. Instantly men and women stepped forward, each of them bowing deeply, before asking them to step in a certain way – the girls couldn't help but laugh when they heard Miroku sigh, no doubt disappointed that a man was leading him away. However, Sango turned her head at the last moment, and saw that not only was the prince watching Kagome leave, but a pair of red eyes within the shadows were as well. She quickly stepped closer to her friend, wishing to protect her, knowing that she didn't know a thing.

OoO

"I don't like that boy's intentions toward you, Kagome-chan," Sango said after they'd ushered the servants to leave them in peace in their strange bathes. "He was far too forward with you."

Kagome sighed, "He was, wasn't he? He reminds me a little of Kouga-kun, but then he does something that reminds me of Miroku-sama. He's so different from the Sesshoumaru I've always known."

"That he is," Sango nodded. "Which would be a good reason to stay as far away from him as possible at all times. I don't think he can control his tongue, and he is royalty, he may not be able to stop himself if he decides he wants to… to," Sango blushed a little, "take you to his bed."

Kagome blushed as well. "Yeah, I noticed where his conversation went a few times, thanks." She blushed a little harder, "It's just amazing to see how different Sesshoumaru can be, how he could have been in our dimension—"

"He isn't, though, Kagome-chan. The Sesshoumaru we know is Taiyoukai of the Western Lands, a powerful ruler who would rather look down upon you than treat you like an equal. I'm positive he only puts up with us at the moment because he needs you, and possibly us, in order to return home. If he only needed you, I doubt that Miroku-san or I would still be alive," Sango sighed.

"I wouldn't let him do that, Sango-chan!" Kagome declared. "I would demand that he used Tenseiga, or left you be, or I wouldn't help him! I won't let him hurt you if it turns out we don't have to be together to go into the portal. I promise."

Sango smiled, "Thanks, Kagome-chan."

"You're my friend, Sango-chan. You, Shippo-kun, Miroku-sama, Kirara, and Inuyasha are like my second family. I won't let anyone hurt you if I'm able to do something about it," Kagome smiled back.  _I promise_.

"I know, Kagome-chan, but that's going off topic," Sango sighed. "This Prince Sesshoumaru could be as rotten as his advisor Naraku, or our Naraku, on the inside. We shouldn't get close to him, or to anyone in this dimension, or any other. We could risk changing something that should have happened, or possibly end up not being able to leave because someone doesn't want us to. We don't know how this portal works, and we shouldn't let this prince get in the way of us going home."

"I know, I want to go home just as much as you do, Sango-chan. I won't let Prince Sesshoumaru interfere with that, and if I have to, I'll make sure to avoid him at any given time," Kagome said, nodding to herself.

Sango sighed, "That may not be as easy as it seems."

Kagome frowned a little, "I know, but I'll find a way. We need to go back home so we can complete the Shikon no Tama and defeat Naraku. We can't just sit here because one Egyptian prince wants us to stay. We'll find the portal and we'll find our way home, I know it."

 _I hope so, Kagome-chan. I hope so_ , Sango sighed to herself.  _This prince could prove to be more devious than we think he is. He may act like Kouga and Miroku-san, but he could be like Naraku or more like the Sesshoumaru we know. We don't know, and we shouldn't risk it. I hope you can see that in time if you need to, Kagome-chan. And I hope that prince can give you up, because that look in his eyes was just like Kuranosuke's._

"Besides," Kagome touched her blade on the side of the bath, "I think that the Shikon wants us to go home. I think that's why it turned into the shards I carried turned into this blade."

Sango blinked, "What?"

"I didn't tell you?" Kagome asked.

"Tell us what, Kagome-chan? What happened to the shards you carried?" Sango asked, her eyes widening.

Grasping the blade's hilt, Kagome pulled it up. "They turned into this blade, Sango-chan. I don't know why, but I'm sure it's because they want us to go home. They want us to, no matter how much we have to fight in order to get there, no matter how many hearts we've got to break. We have to go home and defeat Naraku, because he could do so much damage in the short or long amount of time that we're gone – he still has most of the jewel, after all." She sighed, "I only had these few pieces, but I'm positive they want to return home and became apart of the whole once more."

Sango stared at the blade, thinking,  _dear lord. Why are these things truly happening to us?_


	10. Shifting Sands

"It's beautiful, isn't it, Kagome-chan?"

"Ah," she really didn't know what to say. She had found the gift lying innocently over her bed when she woke to the brightly glaring sun. It was white and golden, and she had found a few golden bands to go with it, but even if the Egyptian gown was very beautiful, she was not quite sure if she should wear it. That was the exact reason she brought it to Sango, hoping that the elder woman would know what to do, but she had not expected Sango to take to it so quickly.

Sango frowned, "However, I don't think you should wear it."

"You don't?" Kagome asked, blinking rapidly. Her clothing had already changed to that of the world around her, but the gown was even finer than what she was wearing.

"No," Sango shook her head. "It is obviously from that prince, and there's no telling what customs they have here. Accepting this might not be such a bad thing, but wearing it in his presence might tell others that you've accepted something more from him, such as marriage. Some cultures do those sort of things, you know."

"Yeah, I must have forgotten," Kagome frowned. "I was just so shocked to have found it, you know. No one has ever given me something like this before." She touched the material before, delighted with the foreign feel, and wondering if she would be able to take it with her if she did decide to take it with her. After all, she was sure if she asked she could find out whether or not the customs in this world included giving items to women they wished to marry, and if accepting it meant they accepted the marriage. That just was not something that she was able to do, no matter how lovely the gown was, and she would return it if that turned out to be the case.

"It might be good if you remind yourself of it then, Kagome-chan. There's no telling how long it will take in order to return home, or how many cultures we will pass through. And, there's no telling how many different men will try to give you or me something without telling us the true meaning behind accepting it," Sango frowned a bit deeper. She understood that Kagome was shocked to find such a piece of finery laid out for her, but now was not the time to forget such obvious things. She supposed, though, that she should be happy Kagome brought it for her to see, instead of putting it on and accidentally putting herself into a position that could damage their departure.

Kagome blushed, "I will. Thanks, Sango-chan, I'm not sure what I'd do without you."

Sango reached out and placed her hand onto the other girl's shoulder, smiling a bit when she noticed her friend's embarrassment. "Kagome-chan, there's no reason for you to thank me. I will do anything I can in order to keep you and houshi-sama safe, and Sesshoumaru if I have to, so that we can go home. I'm not saying that because the only thing on my mind  _is_  going home, but because you're my friend, and I'll do anything to protect you – even if I have to protect you from yourself."

"I'll try my hardest to do the same," Kagome replied. She wished at that moment that she could form that fierce protectiveness in her eye the way Sango did, but she was glad either way that she had such a friend. She was glad that even though they had had a rough start when they first met, they had become friends and traveled with each other before and even after all this started.

She was not sure what she would do without her.

A soft knock on the doorframe interrupted what Sango was about to say, and she turned her head to see a small, tanned woman moved into the room. Her head was down, and her lack of gold or fine clothing spoke of her rank, as she shuffled into the room quietly. However, as Sango scanned her eyes over the woman, she noticed that she looked remarkably like the bat hanyou they had once encountered. The only difference was the dark hair, for she was not sure about her eyes with her head down.

"Oh, hello," Kagome greeted her.

The servant glanced up shortly, and then lowered her head once more. "Prince Sesshoumaru wishes that I take you to the dining hall for nourishment. He said that he wishes to speak with the Goddess Kagome and her companions before they leave to search the kingdom," she said softly. "I am here to fulfill any needs that you may have before we depart."

Sango pulled her gown back up onto her shoulders, having wished to change into something else she might be carrying, but deciding against it. Already she could feel the heat swarming into the palace from outside, and the gown was one of the few things keeping her sane. "Thank you, you may wait outside the door until we're ready," she stated.

The servant dipped her head and moved backwards out of the door. Then, she moved a few paces away from their sight, not wishing to anger them. She knew the punishment should she make Prince Sesshoumaru angry, and she did not want to think about how much worse it would be if she angered his chosen or her companion.

Kagome fingered the fine material between her fingers once more, and sighed, "I suppose I should return this."

"Yes, otherwise he might begin to wait for the moment that you wear it." Sango laughed a little, "Who knows, he might sneak into your bedchamber during the night in order to place the gown onto your body, and then when you don't realize its there, fling himself into your chamber and declare you're his wife."

Kagome blushed, "It would be Kouga-kun all over again."

oOo

Kagura allowed a smirk to cross her face as she flew onward, the wind whipping by her at a gentle pace. She knew the feel of the wind as if it was apart of her, and soon she knew it would be. The wind was free, unhindered by man or youkai, and often times showing such force that it was clear that it ruled over both. It was as clear as the sunlight that shined down upon the land during the day, and the light the moon cast throughout the night. And soon, it would be clear that the wind was apart of her, and that no one could hold her down with chains.

Hakudoushi had been easy to manipulate into giving her heart – much easier than she had originally thought. However, she had never expected that the boy held her heart, whether he was apart of Naraku or not. She had often thought that after manipulating Hakudoushi, she would have go on some long quest in order to obtain the item from wherever Naraku had hidden it and called it from each time he showed her she would never be free. Apparently the hanyou was losing his touch.

Now, she had agreed to free Hakudoushi from the chains that kept him tied to Naraku. After all, one more ally to help defeat the bastard hanyou was something she would not pass up, even if she had to do a little extra work. The bastard had many abilities, but she doubted that he would be able to stop them once they all were able to turn their backs on him. Naraku, no doubt, would be the first thing that Hakudoushi went after once he was free, and the hanyou would have no way of defending himself, since Hakudoushi was Naraku and Naraku was Hakudoushi until the ties were severed.

However, Kagura was no fool. She knew that even with her heart, Naraku could still see through her eyes the way that he had been doing since before she knew he had the ability. He could not feel what she felt, or know her thoughts, but he would no doubt be troubled when she landed in the courtyard of one of his pervious castles. The bastard would probably know which castle she had landed at, and would try to stop her, but she knew that Naraku was far from the area. He might be able to travel at a much faster pace, but he could not travel faster than the wind.

Even so, she knew that she would have to prepare herself for his arrival.

From Hakudoushi's words she assumed that Kanna would be waiting, or somehow meet her within the castle. Kagura knew that Kanna was able to suck the souls from others, but she was not sure if Kanna would be able to suck the soul out of Naraku's chest. The hanyou had probably formed some type of defense in case his incarnations turned against him, and she would not doubt that he built a defense against Kanna's mirror. He already had a defense against her wind, why not against the void that Kanna created? And that defense could prove to be their downfall, unless they managed to escape before he was able to do much damage.

Kagura sighed, knowing that though the wind often ruled over the lives of man and youkai, in physical form even wind was vulnerable. Her flesh was a hindrance in many ways – not only did it cause her pain when damaged, but it caused her to lust, and to  _feel_. The wind did not need such things, but her flesh did not care, and that truly was her weakness. Yes, she was afraid of death, even if she would be reunited with the wind in its truest and oldest form, but that was a natural fear of all physical creatures – that was not her weakness.

A small frown formed onto her lips, and Kagura forced those thoughts from her head. For now, with her heart, she was free. Her heart beat within her chest. Things were right in the world, and even if Naraku held a small tie to her still, it was good to simply  _know_  that they were. Because of that, she did not need to worry about the vulnerability that she had, nor the link that still connected her to Naraku.

And, knowing that was true, Kagura allowed the feather she rode to begin its descent.

oOo

Hakudoushi breathed deeply, allowing the separation to take place. He could feel the heart within him twisting, trying to find a way in order to remain within his body, but he forced it to surrender to his will. It was such a weak thing, Naraku's ningen heart. It feared, and it lusted, even after all this time, and that made it weak. However, Hakudoushi knew more about the heart than anyone else, and he also knew that it reflected that Naraku was weak.

Yes, his master would be easy to break once he was free.

However, as Hakudoushi cast his light colored eyes over the cave walls around him, he wondered. He was not like Kagura, wishing to be free because he felt connected to something that was always free. He was not like Kanna, wishing to be free in order to feel more than the void in his chest. He was like neither of them, or any other incarnation that Naraku had created from his flesh. He was strong, uncaring that he had nothing within his chest or unconnected to something greater than himself. So, he pondered, what was the reason he wished to be free of Naraku's chains, other than the thought of killing him?

After a moment, Hakudoushi supposed that there was none. He wished to be free in order to kill Naraku, to prove that he was the strongest. He wished to be free in order to show Naraku that he was a fool, and rub his face into the dirt as he did so. He wished to be free in order to simply say that he was free, and go about his life, whatever it was, in the fashion that he wished. He wished to be free, because he did not wish to have chains holding him to something that was inferior to himself.

Then, as Hakudoushi pushed more and more against the heart settled within him against his will, a brief flash filled his vision. A girl smiled at him innocently, though he knew that she truly smiled at another, not at him. Her hair fell around her heart shaped face, while her eyes glittered in happiness, directed at and meant only for him. And, behind her, her aura spread out in its massive form, the purify creating a marvelous creature of strength, and showed that she was anything but weak.

Hakudoushi closed his eyes then, allowing the image to remain in his minds eye. The miko wench. He scowled at the very thought of her, for even now, when she was dead, she troubled his thoughts. He supposed that the obsession had grown from Onigumo's obsession for Kikyo, but he knew that Onigumo was a fool to lust after that bitch. Hakudoushi knew that he had chosen the right miko, the living one, for her power had increased and strengthened since Kikyo had called the soul hers. However, though powerful, the miko was troublesome and unwanted, even when his physical form protested.

The heart in his chest gave a loud thump, and then skipped a beat. The action caused Hakudoushi to release the pleasant vision of the miko, for he hated whenever the weak thing mistook what was his for its own. Onigumo's weak heart was unable to tell the difference, proving its weakness even more, between the living and the dead.  _Naraku's_  weak heart was unable to tell the differences between the old and the new, and Hakudoushi was unwilling to share.

His mind set, he returned to his task of separating the heart from his body. He had yet to decide where he was going to deposit the thing, but it did not matter to him at the moment. He was determined to cast the thing from his body and finally enjoy a brief vision of his miko without the thing interfering. It did not matter that she was now dead, her face and voice were etched into his mind, and he would be unwilling to let her go. The heart only got in the way of that, constantly thinking of Kikyo whenever he envisioned her, and its weakness made it unworthy of his body.

Not a second later a wicked smile spread across his face. The annoying organ fell to the floor, beating and reminding him of Naraku's life. However, his smile stretched when he realized that soon he would be able to rid the world of Naraku's existence. Yes, he would enjoy feeling his blood on his hands, but why waste his energy? It would be so much simpler to take a stab at the heart, stopping Naraku in his tracks, and wondering about the ways he choked for life.

oOo

Kanna stepped away from the shadows the moment she realized that Kagura had arrived. Her footsteps were light as she made her way over to her, while her eyes swept over the ruins of the once beautiful structure. She remembered the way it stood before Naraku's influence had corrupted the walls and killed those within them. However, she was not there to admire the beauty that it had once held, nor was she there to care about it, because she knew what her mission was.

"Kagura," she greeted her sibling.

Kagura flicked her fan closed, the weapon going unnoticed by her sister. She frowned only a little when she noticed how much Kanna had not changed, even with her soul within her body. No doubt it was, since Hakudoushi had released it – but her eyes were still dark voids, and she still held up her mirror as if it were her only thing in life. "Kanna," Kagura nodded.

"This way," Kanna said, turning on her heel.

Kagura continued to frown when she realized that even Kanna's voice had not changed. However, she supposed that there was a chance that Kanna's soul was exactly as she was, a lifeless void. It would surely explain the reason that her sister's mood did not appear to be affected, or anything else about her. Though, Kagura did take notice that the once white flower in Kanna's hair was now a stunning purple, and very easily picked out from the rest of the white form that made up Kanna.

Kanna moved down the corridors soundlessly, knowing that Kagura was following her closely. She knew that Kagura was aware of where the chamber was, but allowed her feet to lead the way. They lead her through the castle without much thought, until finally she stopped in front of a single door, and waited for Kagura to slide it open. Once she had, Kanna stepped inside, and moved to where the trapdoor was located. "Here, Kagura," she said, her voice low and emotionless.

Kagura watched as Kanna leaned down, her hand grasping the handle and pulling the entrance open. Instantly Kagura knew that something lay within, for she could hear the soft sounds of what she knew was supposed to be an infant. However, she knew that it was not truly such a thing, and stepped down the steps leading into the darkness once Kanna had taken the first few. Her fan was held tight in her hand, sliding open a bit, just as she reached the bottom.

"There," Kanna pointed.

Kagura followed her finger, and saw in the darkness the small bundle that was obviously the infant. It was raised on a small pedestal, and reaching out into the darkness with its small hands. Kagura narrowed her eyes, uncaring of its life as she raised her fan. Then, with a simple flick downwards, blades rolled through the darkness and struck the infant before it could make another sound. They cut into its flesh, slicing it to pieces as more and more spun from the edge of her fan and toward the small life form.

Kanna twisted her mirror, capturing the soul that escaped the form within seconds. Her mind was set on her freedom, and she did not notice the tug she felt within her, or the fact that the flower in her hair was beginning to drain in color. For soon she would be free, and she would take Hakudoushi far from this land in order to live without chains. She could no longer feel the void in her chest, for she would have a reason to live, other than to serve her lord and father.

She did not take her eyes off the pedestal for a moment, knowing that another figure was supposed to come forth. Kagura was not disappointed when she noticed the small wooden figure now standing erect on stop of the platform, or when it began to grow. She opened her fan wider, her eyes narrowing as the form came to life, Naraku's form instantly attacking her. However, she was prepared, and sliced through the first barrage of tentacles that came her way.

Blinking, Kanna moved from Kagura's side, and walked by the distracted puppet. Its goal was to destroy the one who destroyed the infant, so it took no notice of her. Kanna was not worried, for she easily moved to the other side of the chamber, and reached out for the stone figure sitting on a low shelf. The figurine was identical to Hakudoushi, and appeared to be cracked only slightly across the chest. The small imperfection caused a small smile to stretch over Kanna's normally stoic face, and she turned to retreat to the stairs.

Kagura gritted her teeth, wondering what in the world Kanna was doing. However, she was not given time to think as another set of tentacles was sent her way. She destroyed them quickly, feeling her chest heave a bit each time she flicked her wrist. She did not understand why the thing would not die, since that blasted Inuyasha and his group could defeat them so easily – especially if this was one created some time ago. "Damn it," Kagura hissed, "die!  _Dance of Blades_!"

Kanna took a small glance at her, before taking the first few steps up toward the light. Her fingers tightened around the small figurine, before she felt another tug inside of her, this one more noticeable. Then, slowly, the color drained completely from the flower in her hair, and her eyes became a bit darker in color. They swirled like a true abyss, and she gave a small nod before she turned toward the battle taking place in the underground area around her.

Kagura froze for only a second, before her head whipped around in order to see Kanna staring at her through the darkness. Her eyes were the most terrifying things that Kagura had ever seen, the swirling blackness signaling the abyss that would soon take her over. Then, in her error of judgement, she felt something impale her from the front. She did not even need to turn, for her vision was soon filled with that of tentacles, only then for everything to fade away into nothingness.

Kanna blinked, and turned to walk back up the stairs. The puppet behind her gave a low keening, obviously pleased with its kill, but she did not care. She did not take notice of anything until her foot landed on the floor, and she cast her eyes up toward the one that ruled her. Then she lowered her head, and reached out her hand in order to give him what he demanded of her, placing the figurine into his outstretched hand.

"Good girl, Kanna," Naraku laughed.

Oh, how he loved whenever fools played right into his hand.

oOo

Kagome smiled a little, before offering the gown up to him. The prince appeared to be confused, but she was not about to let him fool her on this one. She already had Kouga back at home declaring that she was his woman all the time, she did not need someone declaring that she was going to be their wife or something. The gesture was really sweet, but she did not want anything to stop them from going home. "I really like it, I do," she tried to assure him, "but I just can't take something like this from you."

Prince Sesshoumaru frowned, "I do not understand, Goddess Kagome."

"Please, its Kagome," she sighed, "and I can't take this. I'm sure that you put a lot of thought into getting it, but I don't think that I should take it from you."

"No," Prince Sesshoumaru shook his head. "You do not understand, Kagome.  _I_  did not give you such a thing."

"Huh?" Kagome blinked. Now she was confused.

Prince Sesshoumaru frowned, before casting his eyes down the table. His eyes sought out that of the God that had been angered with his flattery of the Goddess before him, and wondered if he had done this in order to make the Goddess angry with him. He knew that the God had not visited Kagome during the night, but perhaps he truly was her husband and was trying to make sure that she wanted nothing to do with him. The very thought caused him to scowl, for he would not be deterred from the beauty before him.

"I'm afraid that I did not give you that lovely piece of art, Goddess," Prince Sesshoumaru sighed. "I wish now that I had thought of such a gesture, but I did not. Perhaps one of the servants decided to place it out for you to wear, thinking that it would look lovely on you." His eyes darkened a bit, and he leaned a bit closer to her, "And, I should thank whoever it was that did so, because I am sure that it will look divine."

"Oh," Kagome blushed.

"No," he shook his head, "I am positive that it will. Though, this feeble piece of cloth would be nothing without your beauty to enhance its own, Goddess. You will be what truly makes it shine, for on any other I am sure that it would look plain and unnoticeable."

A few seats down, Sango hit Miroku in the arm when he mentioned that the prince was quite good. She scowled at him, and muttered that he should be thinking about something other than flirting – like going home. However, the houshi did not seem to get it, because he chuckled and took another sip of his wine. So, Sango hit him again, restarting the cycle once more.

"I—I really don't think that I should take it, though," Kagome finally said. She decided to ignore the way that he was staring at her, since it turned her insides to mush. He was obviously a master at flirting with women, since he used both his voice and his words in order to make it seem even more flattering. "I mean, it's really not mine to have! I appreciate the gesture, but I don't think that I could take this from anyone."

Prince Sesshoumaru blinked, "If someone placed it in your chambers, then it was obviously meant for you to wear. You should not let such a gift go to waste."

"Please," she pleaded.

He reached out, and took the gown from her quivering hands. Then, he bowed his head, and called forth a servant to hold it. "If that is what you wish, Goddess. I will have the owner found immediately, and have it returned. However, should that person decide that they wish for you, and you alone, to have it, there is nothing that I can do," he replied.

She twitched, before saying, "Don't get any ideas. I'll know if there is even the slightest difference, and then I'll know to bring it straight to you."

Prince Sesshoumaru laughed, asking, "Whatever gave you that idea, Goddess?"

"Its Kagome," she reminded him once more.

"Kagome," he corrected himself. He did not see why she insisted on it, but he supposed that he should not have her wrath turned upon him. "I would not dream of doing such a thing once it has been done. No, I will do something even better."

Kagome shook her head at him, watching as he raised his goblet to his lips and drank. Then he turned to smile at her once more, and she returned the smile, before going back to her food. It was hot out, and she knew that she would need as much as she could possibly get in order to get through it. And she did not think it would be very polite of her to not even touch what had been placed in front of her face.

Prince Sesshoumaru cast his eyes down the table, and noticed that the unnamed God was looking in his direction. However, he realized after a moment that the God was looking not at him, but his advisor, standing just behind him on this morn. His eyes narrowed, and he looked back at Naraku for a quick moment, noticing the way his eyes quickly shifted in order to look further down the table. He was no fool, though; he knew that Naraku had been gazing at Kagome, and whatever reason he had would not be hidden for very long.

Sesshoumaru shifted himself, feeling the gold around his shoulders shift as well. However, he paid little attention to the trinkets as he cast his eyes over the other occupants of the table once more. He found it odd that the miko would find such a thing lying on her bed for her in the morning, and that he had not even noticed a single sound the night before. However, he did not need sound in order to notice that the miko now smelled of his double's advisor, and decided at that moment that he would watch him a little more closely.

After all, he needed the miko and her strange key to return home. The mortal would not stand in his way.


	11. The Temple Shikon

"Are ye heading out, Inuyasha?" Kaede asked.

Inuyasha gave a stiff nod. "I gotta get goin' if I expect to defeat that bastard Naraku. There's no tellin' what he's doin' now."

Kirara mewed, pushing away from the arms of the woman that held her. Once her form hit the ground, she moved to stand beside him. He gazed down at her for a moment, but as she began to lick lightly at her paw, she knew that he knew what she meant. The village would be safe with Kaede and the guardians of the forest around them, they did not need her to stay. So, she would go with him. Though, as she went to scratch behind her ear, she winched a bit at the shallow wound marring her flesh.

"And, pray tell, where do ye plan on going first?" Kaede continued. She smiled a bit when she saw the dedication that Kirara had to her friends. She knew from tales of old perfectly well whose companion she had once been, and she was glad to see that even now Midoriko's teachings were followed somewhere.

"Well, I was going to go visit those damn panthers, but I figured that I didn't feel like getting my hide burned or frozen just yet. So," he scoffed, "I'm going to go see these dragons that rule the east. I wanna see if they're as strong as they're made out to be."

"Hm," Kaede nodded. "I see. Just do keep in mind that ye must keep yeself safe, Inuyasha. The climb to the Dragon's Keep is not an easy one, and they say that most do not survive the few dragons that guard the entrance."

Inuyasha scoffed again, "Yeah, well, if what the kid said is true, these guys have a debt to pay. And I plan on makin' them pay it, whether I have to kick their asses or not."

"Do not grow overconfident, Inuyasha," Kaede warned. "Even the best ally can turn out to be the one who will stick ye in the back when ye have turned away."

Shippo jumped to Kaede's shoulder, grabbing onto the old woman's haori with ease. "And don't forget to come back alive," he said. "Kagome-mama and the others might still be out there, remember? So, you have to come back to see them."

Inuyasha shook his head, before turning away. He raised his hand into the air, "Sure thing, kid." After a few steps, Kirara came to perch herself on his shoulder, her tails twitching down his back. He walked a bit more, turned to cast one last look at his companions, and then shot off into the forest as fast as he could.

Shippo frowned, "Do you think he'll come back, Kaede-sama?"

"He is a strong hanyou, Shippo-kun," Kaede replied. "I am sure that he might get himself hurt a bit, but he will pull through for everyone's sake. After all, I doubt he wants Kagome and the others to return to a land controlled completely by Naraku."

"I know, but don't you think we should have told him the easier way to reach the Dragon's Keep?" Shippo asked. He did not understand Kaede's wish to keep the information from Inuyasha, since it would save him nearly a day's travel. However, he did not go against the wishes of his elder when he had remembered the piece of information.

"He will get more respect out of climbing the mountain than taking the path, Shippo-kun," Kaede smirked. "Ye do not need to worry over such things. Inuyasha will climb the mountain, he will prove himself, and he will convince the dragons that it is best to be with him rather than against him. As I said, he might get a little hurt along the way, but the lasting effect will serve its purpose."

Shippo nodded. Kaede's words were true, since it made more sense for Inuyasha to earn their respect before be started mouthing off to them. At least that way he would not be condemning himself to a nice little cell they decided to build just for him. Or get himself thrown off the cliff that he would have to climb if he said anything really disrespectful to the dragon lord. "I understand."

oOo

Ah-Un knew that something was not right in the world. His heads turned to the small girl curled up on his side, tears leaking down her face from the argument she had had with the toad. He did not believe that his master was dead, none of them did. Yet the toad had decided to debate with her on whether or not he  _might_  be. Damn toad, he had never trusted him. It did not matter how much he worshipped the ground that his master walked on, he had most likely always been waiting to see what could destroy such a powerful being.

However, the toad was a fool, because his master was not dead.

Turning both heads, Ah-Un gazed around the area, before Ah decided that it was safe. Un continued to watch for any sudden movements in the foliage for a while, not entirely convinced as his counterpart. However, Ah-Un eventually rested both heads against the ground, listening to the small girl as she cried. Ah wished to comfort her, but did not know how, and when he gave a snort to Un, he found that the other did not either. So, they continued to listen, feeling her hands rub against the hide of their back.

Un lifted his head when he heard a nose, and snorted when he realized the toad was returning. Ah then lifted his, as well. Ah-Un watched him carefully – the way he walked; the way he carried his staff; the way he huffed in annoyance; the way his eyes were a bit guilty. Ah was not entirely convinced that much of this information was relevant, and Un agreed as the toad moved forward. Ah-Un still watched, four eyes narrowing when the toad came to stop before them.

Jaken scowled at the large beast, snapping, "Don't you dare try anything, you stupid animal! I am Sesshoumaru-sama's most trusted servant, and I will have respect!"

Un growled, leaning forward to snort in the toad's face. Ah laughed at the gesture, while the toad began to yell about how it was disrespectful for him to be treated such a way. However, Ah-Un did not care, because both heads knew that  _they_  were their master's most trusted vassal. Their master had found and cared for them, allowed them to stay at his side for centuries. They had stood by his side since a date before their master's father had perished, and they knew that the toad was as much of an annoyance to their master as he was to them. If either of them deserved respect, it was not the one squawking at the top of his lungs.

Ah turned his head toward the girl when she shifted, lifting her eyes to look upon the toad. Un continued to occupy the filthy beast's attention, but Ah watched as the girl wiped at her large eyes. He wished that she would not cry, but he knew there was nothing to be done about it at the moment. He had never been able to communicate in a way that the girl would understand, though he had strived for many years to learn the language that many other creatures used. However, knowing what she said was much different than being able to tell her that his master was not dead, he could not be.

"Don't talk like that to Ah-Un, Jaken," Rin snapped. Ah-Un fully turned toward the girl, surprised that she had not said the toad's name with respect and snapped at him at the same time. "Sesshoumaru-sama isn't dead! Rin won't believe it, and neither will Ah-Un. If you wish to, then you're not a true servant of Sesshoumaru-sama, and you don't deserve anything!"

Un turned his head, wanting to see the look on the toad's face. His mouth had fallen open, and he gawked for a few moments, obviously confused with what just happened. However, Un began to chuckle when he felt the girl climb up onto their back and take the reins. The toad continued to look absolutely stupefied, even when he followed Ah into lifting to their feet.

"You—" Jaken finally managed to stutter out. "You despicable human wench! How dare you talk to me, the Almighty Jaken, as if you are superior! If you were not such an important play thing to my lord, I would spite you where you stand!"

Rin ignored him, tugging at the reins, "Come on, Ah-Un. We'll need to go see Kazuya-sama to tell him that Sesshoumaru-sama is missing. He'll know what to do, Rin is sure."

Ah-Un moved where the child directed him, though Un kept a close eye on the toad. The girl had ignored him, and continued to do so even after he kept droning on about how great he was, but they were not stupid enough to do so. The weapon their master had given the toad held many secrets the toad had yet to uncover, but Ah-Un had seen them with their own eyes. They would not allow the girl to be harmed by it, because whether she knew it or not, she was beginning to show their master a better life.

Jaken's eyes widened, "Where are you going, you stupid child? You can't leave me here, I am a valuable asset to the House of the Moon!"

Ah-Un made sure to give the toad a nice slap with their tail when he came running forward. Once the toad went flying for a second time that day, they allowed themselves to pull into the air away from him. After all, it appeared that even angered the toad was too stupid to realize the power he held in his hands. Ah-Un supposed, as they began to travel home, that that was probably the reason their master gave it to the toad. At least in his hands it could not do much harm.

OoO

Miroku rubbed at his shoulders, wishing that the blazing sun were no longer pounding down upon him. The heat was almost unbearable, though the slight darkness of his skin helped to keep him from burning, as Kagome said. Despite that knowledge, he still wished that they had been transported to a place with minimal sunlight. In fact, at this moment, he would much rather be in a place that was cloaked in complete darkness for all eternity. Night would be much welcome, since this blistering heat was causing his mind to shift away from the beauty that was walking around him half naked in order to focus on his plight.

Shifting his gaze from the sand at his feet, he sighed at the image his two lovely companions made. They were speaking softly with one another, not even realizing that their hips were swaying hauntingly back and forth, back and forth. The fact that Sango was wearing an outfit that barely hid her modesty was a huge bonus; he could almost see through half of that fine silk. Oh, how desperately he wished to reach out and take hold of that plump bottom taunting him, but the heat pounding down upon him was depleting him of energy.

At the moment he had no desire to be hit. There would be no telling how long it would take him to recover in this type of heat.

So, sighing once more, he cast his eyes over the city surrounding them. The buildings were created with stone, or perhaps clay, and stood side-by-side against the elements. People moved about the sand covered roads in minimal clothing, most of them dark skinned and unaffected by the heat of the sun. In all, it appeared to be a normal place to him, merely one that was far to close to the sun and surrounded by desert. After living near water and surrounded by large, green trees and other plants it was  _not_  a place he would wish to live, though.

"Miroku-san. Miroku-san?"

Miroku blinked, wishing once again that the sun was not so overbearingly hot. Turning his head, he smiled at the young miko standing at his side. He noticed that Sango had flanked his other side, but kept his gaze trained on the woman to his right. "Yes, Kagome-sama? Is there something that you need?" he asked.

"Kagome-chan and I were wondering on your thoughts of this place," Sango replied. "We have our own ideas where the portal of this world might be, but we wished to hear your thoughts, houshi."

Kagome nodded, "I want to ask Sesshoumaru, too. He might have a good idea where it is, since he said he was going to scout the area. He'll probably get to see more than we will. He's really fast, after all."

Miroku nodded, "Yes, that is an excellent idea. It might also benefit us to ask the Prince. This is his kingdom, so he will know the location quite well if Sesshoumaru-sama does not manage to find anything of importance. However, we should only use him as a last resort considering the way he reacted when Kagome-sama mentioned us departing. He does not seem keen on the idea, and I do not wish to reside in a prison because he wishes to stop us."

"I had the same thoughts," Sango said. "The Prince does not wish us to leave because he believes Kagome-chan to be a god of some type. So, it will be best to only use him if we must."

Kagome nodded in agreement to their words. She knew that Sango did not wish to ask Prince Sesshoumaru of anything after she had received that beautiful piece of clothing. Her friend had been suspicious of many people since Naraku had destroyed her village and left her alive as he controlled her younger brother. She was not surprised that she was suspicious of Prince Sesshoumaru, and in a way Kagome knew she was as well. "That sounds like a plan," she said. "But how will we know when we must?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama is a youkai," Miroku pondered, "so he should be able to see everything in the city by nightfall. I doubt that he has thrown himself into the crowd of people around here, which means that he has most likely taken to the rooftops or the sky. So, he should be able to give us a good idea of the area. However, even he might not find the portal within the first day, so we should give him a few before we decide to do anything else."

"It sounds reasonable." Sango turned her head, looking through the crowd of people to her left. She stopped after a moment, her eyes narrowing as she saw the glimmer in the distance.

"Sango-san?" Miroku asked.

"There water over there," Sango stated. "A river it looks like."

Kagome turned to look, blinking at the sight. "Are you sure? Often times in a place like this your mind will start to show you things that aren't real in the distance. They call it a mirage."

"Interesting," Miroku said thoughtfully. "I have heard of men at sea having their minds play tricks on them, but I had not known intense heat could cause such a thing."

Sango scowled, "My mind is not playing tricks on me. Besides, I am used to heat from working with Kirara my entire life."

Miroku smiled innocently, "I made no such assumption, Sango-san. I was merely stating a fact, since I appreciate it whenever Kagome-sama decides to share with us a bit from the outside world. After all, her time seems to know a great deal more than ours about mostly everything."

Kagome nodded in agreement, saying, "From what I know about history, I would say that this is most likely around five thousand years before my time in Egypt. It's a country in Africa that is covered in mostly desert and has the Nile River running through it. Most cities were built along the river, since it is the only source of water unless you lived next to the ocean. So, there's a very good chance that what we're seeing is that river."

"The Nile?" Sango asked. "Such a strange name."

"I am sure that they think our names are pretty strange, Sango-chan," Kagome smiled. "Or at least in our dimension they would have, since many people here seem to have Japanese names. Here seems to be the dimension where our origins began in Egypt instead of in Japan. It would explain why we understand each other."

Miroku tilted his head, "I had wondered about that. But I had thought that it had something to do with the portal, since it is possible we are hearing the language as we need to and vise versa."

"I suppose," Kagome replied. "It is possible, but too much of a headache to think about how such a thing could be created."

"Yes, I must agree with you, Kagome-sama."

Sango nodded at the answer, adding, "The person or god that created such a thing must be very powerful."

"Indeed," Miroku replied. "However, I believe at the moment we should be thinking about perhaps exploring this river. If it is such an important source of life to this country, then perhaps that will be where the portal is located."

"It would make sense." Kagome stated her opinion, before moving to walk in the direction the river was located. It was not as far away as she expected when they began, but with the heat barreling down upon them it seemed twice as far. However, upon seeing the Nile River, she stood almost in awe of the mighty source of water that allowed life to thrive in such a dry climate. Her feeling of awe disappeared in a cold shiver, though, when a shadow settled over them.

Miroku tensed, feeling the spiritual presence that cast over him when the shadow formed. He had not noticed with the blazing sun, but as he glanced up through the shade, he saw a large, dazzling structure standing on the opposite bank of the river. He had never seen such a structure, though he had seen a few in a somewhat similar shape. "Kagome-sama," he asked softly, "what is that?"

"A pyramid," Kagome muttered, her tongue heavy. "But it's made of… of glass instead of stone."

"Is that odd?" Sango asked. She did not have the large sense of spiritual awareness that she knew her companions did, but she still felt unease while standing beneath the pyramid's shadow. Her footing stood apart a bit, because such a powerful thing could not be trusted, whether it was living or not.

"Well, considering the area and the time period that it seems to be," Kagome continued, "that's very, very unusual. All pyramids I've ever read about are made of huge stone blocks built by slaves. They act as burial sights, normally to pharaohs and the ones that served him, because the Egyptians thought that the items and people placed inside with the pharaoh would go onto the next life to please and serve him there."

"One could not be made of glass?" Miroku asked.

"I don't think glass was in that much supply," Kagome replied. "The only thing they had to use that was in great supply was stone, if I remember correctly. So, I have no idea how that was built."

"It emits a strong presence of both holy and demonic powers."

They turned, watching as the tall, stoic taiyoukai now traveling with them slid out of the shadows. His golden eyes were set on the pyramid, as if waiting for it to strike out at him without cause. His shoulders were thrown back, the gold wrapped around his shoulders making the fact more noticeable the longer they stared. Then, as if he had dismissed the tall structure towering above them, he turned his gaze upon them.

"The structure becomes pink when the sun is shining down upon it, but the side that is not touched or has darkened twists with darkness and turns black. The holy energy is strongest where the sun is shining, and the demonic energy is strongest where the sun does not touch. However, despite the strong demonic presence, the structure does not appear malevolent," he finished.

"Are you  _sure_?" Kagome asked.

"Hn." Sesshoumaru nodded once.

"Do you have any idea of what is it, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Miroku asked.

"The ningen who walk past refer to it as 'the temple'," Sesshoumaru replied. "I assumed by the guards posted at the entrance that only those of high ranking are allowed to enter. They would be easy to kill, however, if one wished to enter without permission of such a ningen."

As if sensing the dark, bloodied thoughts behind his words, the structure darkened more. The cap at the top, clearly see through from the way the sun cast through it, twisted with red and black as it happened. The feeling of demonic energy increased, and Kagome tensed as she watched, because she had the feeling that if the darkness completely took over the structure, the shadows would reach out at its command. However, she still felt the gentle wash of purity radiating from the pyramid, giving her a sense of peace as the thought past through her mind. Almost as if it was reassuring her that even in the dark, light could shine through.

Sesshoumaru turned his head, his golden eyes narrowing. "Ningen."

Miroku turned, sensing the other presence. His eyes narrowed when he saw Prince Sesshoumaru's advisor step through a small area between two buildings close to the river. He had not said anything to the women, since he had not thought the man had enough power to do much, but even this Naraku gave him a dark first impression. He could sense the greed underneath his flesh, rooted deep within his soul, and he knew that even here Naraku was evil.

Naraku laughed goodheartedly, "I see that you have found the pride of the pharaohs here. It is a beautiful thing, isn't it? Made completely of darkened glass, yet even after two hundred years it does not have a single scratch upon it."

"What is it? Kagome-chan spoke of pyramids being made for burials, but what is the purpose of one made of glass?" Sango asked. Her tone hardened, her eyes narrowing at the familiar form that had once tricked her within their dimension. She did not care if this one did good with each cast of his hand, she would never again trust anyone with the name of Naraku in that form.

"It is a place where the high priest and the pharaoh may speak to the gods," Naraku replied. "It has always been used as such, since it is an opened pathway to the afterlife."

"Who are your gods?" Miroku asked.

Naraku smirked, shaking his head. "You truly are not of this world if you do not know of the God Hakai and the Goddess Midoriko," he chuckled. "I believe that I might have to tell my prince of this event, so that he will stop believing that you are all from the heavens."

 _Midoriko_ , raced through Kagome's mind. The name of the warrior miko sent a wave of hope through her, since anything related to her would be where Kagome would think the portal would be. "And what do you call this  _temple_?" she asked.

Naraku blinked, casting his eyes over her, "It is known as the Temple Shikon. Home to the Chamber of Souls."


End file.
